Degradable epoxy resins based on bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and silyl ether amine curing agents

A series of silyl ether amine curing agents were synthesized by selective substitution reactions of chloroalkylsilanes or the transetherification of alkoxysilanes. Crosslinked networks were prepared by mixing a stoichiometric ratio of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (D.E.R 331) with the amine curing agents. The networks were characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, TGA, DSC, and DMA. The onset of thermal degradation, glass transition temperatures, and storage moduli for the networks were 350 degrees C, 70-108 degrees C, and 5-25 MPa, respectively. The degradation behavior of the cured samples was monitored for 30 days in PBS, NaOH 5% (w/v), and HCl 5% (v/v) solutions and the degradation products were characterized by spectroscopic methods. The thermal, mechanical, and degradation studies indicated that crosslink density, T-g, storage modulus, and the rate of degradation were affected by the functionality of the amine curing agents and the number of hydrolyzable silyl ether bonds present per mole of curing agent. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.