Kinetic studies of the effect of ABS on the curing of an epoxy/cycloaliphatic amine resin

Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), we have studied, under isoth ermal and dynamic conditions, the kinetics of the cure reaction for an epox y resin based on the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) modified with different contents of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and cured with 1,3-bisaminomethylcyclohexane (1,3-BAC). Kinetic analysis were performed us ing three kinetic models: Kissinger, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, and the phenomenolog ical model of Kamal as a result of its autocatalytic behavior. Diffusion co ntrol is incorporated to describe the cure in the latter stages, predicting the cure kinetics over the whole range of conversion. The total heats of r eaction were not influenced by the presence of ABS. The autocatalytic mecha nism was observed both in the neat system as well as in its blends. The rea ction rates of the blends and the maximum conversions reached did not chang e too much with the ABS content. Blending ABS within the epoxy resin does n ot change the reaction mechanism of the epoxy resin formation. (C) 2000 Joh n Wiley & Sons, Inc.