Accelerated weathering studies of bioepoxy/ionic liquid blends: influence on physical, thermo-mechanical, morphology and surface properties

Ionic liquids are promising candidates with huge potential in combination with thermosetting polymers. However, the behavior of ionic liquid modified epoxy system towards outdoor environmental conditions are seldom reported. Therefore, it is interesting to study the effect of accelerated weathering on ionic liquid modified bioepoxy blends. In this work, bio-based epoxy resin and 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIM[Cl]) ionic liquid blends were prepared by melt mixing method. The concentration of ionic liquid used was 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 phr. The miscibility, morphology, thermo-mechanical, and surface hydrophilicity of the ionic liquid modified bioepoxy blends were studied before and after the accelerated weathering test. The miscibility of the blends was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR results demonstrate the presence of charge transfer complexation reaction between ionic liquid and bioepoxy resin. The tensile strength and modulus were reduced while the elongation at break is increased with the addition of ionic liquid. Onthe other hand, the glass transition temperature and thermal stability of the bioepoxy blends were reduced with the addition of ionic liquid. The contact angle value increases with the incorporation of up to 10 phr ionic liquid, this is followed by a decrease. The interaction between the ionic liquid and bioepoxy resin has vanished after the weathering test. The elongation at break was reduced dramatically after the weathering test, especially for 20 and 30 phr blends. The thermal stability of the weathered samples is similar to that of the samples before weathering. While the Tg values of the blends are stable with respect to neat bioepoxy resin. On the other hand, the contact angle value of the bioepoxy blends increased after the weathering test due to the increased surface roughness after weathering.