EFFECT OF STOICHIOMETRY AND DIFFUSION ON AN EPOXY-AMINE REACTION-MECHANISM

The bulk phase kinetics of an epoxy (DGEBA)/amine (DDS) thermoset have been studied using DSC, FTIR, and C-13-NMR. In the absence of catalyst, the reaction was found to involve a main exothermic reaction between epoxide and amine hydrogen and a side reaction between tertiary amine formed in the main reaction and epoxide. The main reaction was exothermic while the side reaction had no discernable exotherm. Etherification did not occur to any significant extent. Since only the main reaction is exothermic, DSC was very useful for studying the main reaction kinetics. FTIR was used for determining whether epoxide and amine hydrogen were consumed at different rates as a way of following the side reaction. An IR band previously unused by other investigators was used to monitor the amine hydrogen concentration. NMR confirmed the above mechanism by identifying the formation of a quaternary ammonium ion/alkoxide ion pair as a reaction product of tertiary amine and epoxide. This mechanism has been successfully fit to a rate law valid over the entire extent of reaction. The rate constant for the epoxy/amine addition reaction was found to depend on hydroxide concentration (extent), reaction temperature, and glass transition temperature and included contributions from uncatalyzed and autocatalyzed parts. The side reaction (quaternary ammonium ion formation) formed weak bonds which did not affect the overall system T-g. Both reactions were second order. The rate constants for the main reaction first increase with increasing extent due to autocatalysis by hydroxide before decreasing due to the diffusion limit caused by gelation and vitrification. (C) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.