Bio-based aromatic diamines from vanillin substrate were successfully synthesized and characterized. These amines, i.e., methylated divanillylamine (MDVA) and 3,4-dimethoxydianiline (DMAN), were then tested as curing agents for the design of bio-based epoxy thermosets. The epoxy thermosets obtained from these novel vanillin-based amines exhibited promising thermomechanical properties in terms of glass transition temperature and char residue.
Keywords: amines; curing agent; di-vanillin; epoxy; thermoset.