Epoxy resin Aliphatic amine

In adhesive formulations, aliphatic amines are most commonly used to cure the DGEBA type of epoxy resin. Aliphatic amines are not widely used with the non-glycidyl ether resins, since the amine-epoxy reaction is slow at low temperatures. The reaction usually requires heat and accelerators for an acceptable rate of cure. Aliphatic amines are primarily used with lower-viscosity DGEBA resins because of the difficulty in mixing such low-viscosity curing agents with the more viscous epoxy resins. 

The hardeners for cold-setting systems include aliphatic and cycloaliphatic amines and polyamines, adducts of polyamines and epoxy resins, phenol-amine combinations, and condensates of polyamines and dimerized fatty acids (polyaminoamides). Whereas amine hardeners must be used in a stoichiometric ratio to the reactive epoxy groups, polyaminoamides may be overdosed to a certain extent and thus used to elasticize the adhesive resin. 

The condensation leaves epoxy end groups that are then reacted in a separate step with nucleophilic compounds (alcohols, acids, or amines). Eor use as an adhesive, the epoxy resin and the curing resin (usually an aliphatic polyamine) are packaged separately and mixed together immediately before... 

Polyfunctional aliphatic resins have exhibited high reactivity and degrees of cure with amines but problems of toxicity have diminished their usehilness and commercial interest. SoHd epoxy resins can be prepared by the taffy process or the advancement process. 

Curing agents account for much of the potential hazard associated with use of epoxy resins. There are several major types of curing agents aliphatic amines, aromatic amines, cycloaliphatic amines, acid anhydrides, polyamides, and catalytic curing agents. The latter two types are true catalysts, in that they do not participate in the curing process. 

With the diglycidyl derivative of bisphenol A, aromatic amines such as 4,4 -methylene dianiline or diaminodiphenyl sulfone provide good thermal stability for the final cured resin. Although aliphatic primary amines react more rapidly (triethylenetetramine cures the above epoxy resin based on bisphenol A in 30 min at room temperature and causes it to exotherm up to 200°C), they are more difficult to handle and offer poor thermal stability. 

The liquid polymer is converted to the rubbery state by reagents that react with mercaptan (-SH) and side groups of the polymer segments by oxidation, addition or condensation to effect sulfide (-S-S-) bond formation. The oxidation reactions are exothermic and accelerated by an alkaline environment. The most commonly employed oxidizing agents which are suitable for curing liquid polymers are cobalt or manganese or lead octoate, p-quinonedioxime and di- or tri-nitrobenzene. Epoxy resin also reacts with liquid polysulfide polymers by addition in the presence of an aliphatic or aromatic amine and polyamide activator as shown in Equation 5.8 ... 

A great variety of aromatic diamines and aliphatic di- and poly-amines are used as epoxy resin curing agents, and tert-amines can act as catalysts for anionic epoxide homopolymerisation. 

The hisphenol A-derived epoxy resins are most frequently cured with anhydrides-, aliphatic amines, or polyamides. 

The bisphenol A-derived epoxy resins are most frequently cured with anhydrides, aliphatic amines, or polyamides, depending on desired end properties. Some of the outstanding properties are superior electrical properties, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and adhesion. Conventional epoxy resins range from low viscosity liquids to solid resins. 

A waterborne system for container coatings was developed based on a graft copolymerization of an advanced epoxy resin and an acrylic (52). The acrylic—vinyl monomers are grafted onto preformed epoxy resins in the presence of a free-radical initiator grafting occurs mainly at the methylene group of the aliphatic backbone on the epoxy resin. The polymeric product is a mixture of methacrylic acid—styrene copolymer, solid epoxy resin, and graft copolymer of the unsaturated monomers onto the epoxy resin backbone. It is dispersible in water upon neutralization with an amine before cure with an amino—formaldehyde resin. 

In addition to electrical uses, epoxy casting resins are utilized in the manufacture of tools, ie, contact and match molds, stretch blocks, vacuum-forming tools, and foundry patterns, as well as bench tops and kitchen sinks. Systems consist of a gel-coat formulation designed to form a thin coating over the pattern which provides a perfect reproduction of the pattern detail. This is backed by a heavily filled epoxy system which also incorporates fiber reinforcements to give the tool its strength. For moderate temperature service, a liquid bisphenol A epoxy resin with an aliphatic amine is used. For higher temperature service, a modified system based on an epoxy phenol novolak and an aromatic diamine hardener may be used. 

The mechanisms of radiation damage and effects of hardeners were studied recently by pulse radiolysis [89], The epoxy resins require a relatively large amount of curing agents (hardeners), most of them are aromatic and aliphatic amines such as diamino diphenyl methane or triethylene tetramine. On the basis of the emission spectra and kinetic behavior of excited states observed, the radiation resistance of aromatic and aliphatic amine curing epoxy resin was explained by internal radiation protection effects due to energy transfer. 

Epoxy resin formulations containing aliphatic amines will blush and provide an oily surface under very humid conditions. This is due to a reaction of the amine primary hydrogen atoms with carbon dioxide. Resistance to blushing is more important for coatings than for... 

Glycidyl Adducts of Aliphatic Amines. An aliphatic amine such as diethylenetriamine can be partially reacted with an epoxy, such as a DGEBA resin, to produce a low-volatility adduct. In a typical reaction, the epoxy is added slowly to a large excess of DETA. The reaction is maintained at 75°C by cooling. The reaction products are continuously agitated effectively to provide for good contact and uniform concentration effects. At the end of the reaction, excess DETA is vacuum-distilled away from the adduct. 

Two curing agents that have found their way into many epoxy adhesive formulations are the polyamides and amidoamines. These are commonly used in the hardware store variety two-part epoxy resins that cure at room temperature. Both are reaction products of aliphatic amines, such as diethylenetriamine, and should be included under the subclassification of modified amines. However, these products have such widespread and popular use, they are addressed here as a separate classification. 

Amidoamine or polyamidoamine curing agents have reactivity with DGEBA epoxy resins that is similar to the polyamides. However, they are lower-viscosity products and are also lower in color. Amidoamines are derivatives of monobasic fatty carboxylic acids and aliphatic polyamines. Since the amidoamines have only one amide group per molecule, they are lower in molecular weight, viscosity, and amine functionality than the polyamides. 

The mix ratio of anhydride to epoxy resin is less critical than with amines and can vary from 0.5 to 0.9 equivalent of epoxy. The specific ratio is generally determined experimentally to achieve desired properties. Compared to aliphatic amine cures, the exotherm generated by anhydride cured epoxies is low. Elevated-temperature cures up to 200°C and postcures are required to develop optimal properties. 

The epoxy product cured with BF3-MEA is densely crosslinked and has excellent physical properties at high temperatures (150 to 175°C). When reacted with an unmodified epoxy resin, the resulting product is very hard and brittle. The chemical resistance, however, is only fair and somewhat less than that of epoxies that are cured with aliphatic amines. 

Suitable curatives for the polysulfide-epoxy reaction include liquid aliphatic amines, liquid aliphatic amine adducts, solid amine adducts, liquid cycloaliphatic amines, liquid amide-amines, liquid aromatic amines, polyamides, and tertiary amines. Primary and secondary amines are preferred for thermal stability and low-temperature performance. Not all amines are completely compatible with polysulfide resins. The incompatible amines may require a three-part adhesive system. The liquid polysulfides are generally added to the liquid epoxy resin component because of possible compatibility problems. Optimum elevated-temperature performance is obtained with either an elevated-temperature cure or a postcure. 

The commercial flexibilizing reactive diluents are predominantly glycidyl derivatives of glycols, dimerized acids, or reaction products of dicarboxylic acids with epoxy resins. The properties of certain polyepoxy diluents are summarized in Table 8.3. Some of, but not all, these materials provide good reactivity with aliphatic primary amines at room temperature. 

As with amidoamine and polyamide cured adhesives, epoxy resins cured with aliphatic amines exhibit tensile shear strength that is dependent on the type of filler and concentration. Table 11.10 shows the effect of filler loading on strength of a simple general-purpose, room temperature curing epoxy adhesive composed of liquid DGEBA epoxy mixed with 10 pph of a tertiary amine. 

Table 11.12 shows two rapid-setting, room temperature cure epoxy adhesives based on epoxy acrylate resins with aliphatic amine curing agents. These adhesives have gel times of less than 5 min for a 100-g mass. The bond strength development is rapid with handling strength occurring in about 1 h at room temperature. 

Accelerators for dicyandiamide cured epoxy adhesive formulations include tertiary amines, modified aliphatic amines, imidiazoles, and substituted ureas. All except the substituted ureas can cure epoxy resins by themselves. All these materials provide good latency and excellent adhesive applications. 

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