Moldability and properties of phenolic/artificial zeolite composites

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to improve the several properties of composites consisting of a phenolic and fly ash or artificial Zeolite such as sodium type Zeolite (NaZe) or calcium type Zeolite(CaZe). And it also includes the improvement in the flowability of molding compounds. The molding compounds were prepared from a phenol novolac, a curing agent, and several fillers. The flowability of the compounds containing fly ash and artificial Zeolite as a filler, mentioned above, was superior to that of the compounds containing glass fiber (GF), calcium carbonate (CaCO3), or talc as a filler. The phenolic composites were prepared from the above molding compounds by transfer molding. The phenolic composite containing CaZe had most superior heat resistance, electrical insulation, and flexural strength, though in the lastly listed property it ranked next to the GF‐filled composite. The linear expansion coefficient of the composite containing CaZe was as low as almost isotropic. The reasons of obtaining these excellent properties were thought to be as follows: (1) CaZe could finely be dispersed in the phenolic resin to bring good impregnation. (2) The surface chemical and physical interaction between the resin and CaZe was higher than that between the resin and the other fillers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007