Kinetic method by using calorimetry to mechanism of epoxy-amine cure reaction - Part I. Mangelsdorf's approach

A Mangelsdorf's approach to modeling the epoxy-amine cure kinetics has been developed. Analysis of the data by means of Mangelsdorf's approach makes it possible not only to determine the reaction rate constant and the heat of epoxy ring opening, but also to elucidate the reaction mechanism. However, to model the kinetic curves obtained by the calorimetric method for the complicated reaction should be derived an equation expressing the rate of change of the heat with time, as a function of the reaction rate and the extent of conversion. In a detailed examination the thermokinetic data, we found that glassy state transition is kinetically feasible. Using data available in literature, the kinetic model for epoxy-amine cure reaction was developed. Our treatment of glass formation is based on the picture of the reaction system as a miscible mixture of two structurally different liquids. This approach is similar to that presented by Bendler and Shlesinger as a Two-Fluid model. In the application of this model to reaction kinetics, we believe the explanation of glass structure formation lies in the splitting of the homogeneous mixture into two liquid phases.