STUDIES OF COPPER-CATALYZED DEGRADATION OF EPOXY COATINGS AND A METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE DURABILITY OF AN EPOXY COPPER INTERFACE AFTER THERMAL AGING/

It has been demonstrated that an epoxy-polyamide film is susceptible t o be oxidized and degraded on a copper surface at elevated temperature . The amino and amide groups in the epoxy resin are oxidized to nitril es and the polymeric backbone is thermally degraded by the catalysis o f copper, resulting a sharp reduction in adhesion between the epoxy re sin and copper substrate after aging at 200 degrees C for 30 min. By p retreating the copper surface with polyacrylonitrile, the thermal stab ility of the coating and the interfacial adhesion can be significantly improved.