Influence of Catalyst Content on the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Resins Initiated by a Cationic Latent Thermal Catalyst at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

AbstractThe effect of catalyst content on the thermal and mechanical properties of diglycidyl ethers of bisphenol A (DGEBA)/BPH system was investigated at elevated temperatures. The contents of the catalyst, N‐benzylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BPH), examined were 0.5, 1, and 3 wt.‐% and the elapsed heating time was varied from 0 to 1 024 h. As a result, the thermal‐oxidative resistance and mechanical properties, including flexural strength, elastic modulus in flexure, and impact strength showed a maximum value at 1 wt.‐% BPH. By increasing the elapsed time to 4 h, the thermal and mechanical properties of the specimens were also improved. These results showed that the internal structure of the epoxy system was stabilized and post‐cured as the elapsed time increased, resulting in an improvement of the thermal and mechanical properties of the specimens.Impact strength of the DGEBA/BPH system as a function of BPH content and elapsed heating time.magnified imageImpact strength of the DGEBA/BPH system as a function of BPH content and elapsed heating time.