CHARACTERIZATION OF EPOXY-RESINS CURED WITH DICYANDIAMIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF IMIDAZOLE CATALYSTS BY HIGH-RESOLUTION PYROLYSIS-GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

Epoxy resins cured with dicyandiamide (DCDA) in the presence of variou s imidazole catalysts were characterized by high-resolution pyrolysis- gas chromatography (HR-Py-GC) with simultaneous detection by a nitroge n phosphorus detector (NPD) and a flame ionization detector (FID). Sha rp peaks of the nitrogen-containing degradation products characteristi c of the various imidazole catalysts were observed, along with those o f DCDA in the pyrograms obtained, by use of NPD. The observed characte ristic peaks of the imidazole catalysts in the pyrograms obtained by u se of both NPD and FID were successfully correlated to the contents of the imidazole catalysts in the epoxy resins.