Cure kinetics of multifunctional epoxies with 2,2 '-dichloro-4,4 '-diaminodiphenylmethane as hardener

The curing behavior of the epoxy resin N,N,N',N'-tetraglycidyldiaminodiphen yl methane (TGDDM) with triglycidyl p-aminophenol as a reactive diluent was investigated using 2,2'-dichloro-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (DCDDM) as th e curing agent. The effect of the curing agent on the kinetics of curing, s helf-life, and thermal stability in comparison with a TGDDM-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) system was studied. The results showed a lesser activation en ergy at the lower level of conversion with a broader cure exotherm for the epoxy-DCDDM system in comparison with the epoxy-DDS system, although the ov erall activation energy for the two systems was comparable. TGA studies sho wed more stability in the epoxy-DCDDM system than in the epoxy-DDS system. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.