USE OF INVERSE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY TO QUANTIFY INTERACTIONS IN ANHYDRIDE CURED EPOXY-RESINS

Previous work has shown that the inverse gas chromatography (IGC) meth od combined with Flory-Huggins and solubility parameter theories could be used to quantify interactions in an amine cured epoxy resin matrix . In the present communication the same procedures have been adopted f or an anhydride cured epoxy resin matrix. The solubility parameter at 298 K thereby obtained for the cured resin was 20.6(MPa)1/2, which lie s between the corresponding values of 18.8(MPa)1/2 and 22.5(MPa)1/2 fo r the precursors, viz. Epikote 828 (an epoxide resin) and phthalic anh ydride, respectively. It was noted that great care must be exercised r egarding choice of solvent used for deposition of phthalic anhydride o n a glass bead support because of reaction to phthalic acid. Similar c onsiderations apply to the choice of probes used.