Reinforced Epoxy Binder Modified with Borpolymer

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Jun 9;15(12):2632. doi: 10.3390/polym15122632.

Abstract

Polymer binders based on epoxy resins have unique properties that contribute to their use in many composite industries. The potential of using epoxy binders is due to their high elasticity and strength characteristics, thermal and chemical resistance, and resistance to climatic aging. This is the reason for the existing practical interest in modifying the composition of epoxy binders and understanding the strengthening mechanisms in order to form reinforced composite materials with a required set of properties based on them. This article presents the results of a study of the process of dissolving the modifying additive of polymethylene-p-triphenyl ether of boric acid in the components of an epoxyanhydride binder applicable to the production of fibrous composite materials. The temperature and time conditions for the dissolution of polymethylene-p-triphenyl ether of boric acid in anhydride-type isomethyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride hardeners are presented. It has been established that the complete dissolution of the borpolymer-modifying additive in iso-MTHPA occurs at a temperature of 55 ± 2 °C for 20 h. The effect of the modifying additive of polymethylene-p-triphenyl ether of boric acid on the strength properties and structure of the epoxyanhydride binder has been studied. Increases in transverse bending strength up to 190 MPa, elastic modulus up to 3200 MPa, tensile strength up to 0.8 MPa, and impact strength (Charpy) up to 5.1 kJ/m2 are observed when the content of the borpolymer-modifying additive in the composition of the epoxy binder is 0.50 mass. %.

Keywords: boron polymer; epoxy resin; physical and mechanical properties; solubility; tensile strength at tension tensile strength; viscosity.