Optimization of Glass Transition Temperature and Pot Life of Epoxy Blends Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Ramli Junid; Januar Parlaungan Siregar; Nor Azam Endot; Jeefferie Abd Razak; Arthur N Wilkinson

doi:10.3390/polym13193304

Optimization of Glass Transition Temperature and Pot Life of Epoxy Blends Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Polymers (Basel). 2021 Sep 27;13(19):3304. doi: 10.3390/polym13193304.

Authors

Ramli Junid¹, Januar Parlaungan Siregar¹, Nor Azam Endot², Jeefferie Abd Razak³, Arthur N Wilkinson⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Gambang, Kuantan 26300, Pahang, Malaysia.
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
³ Fakulti Kejuruteraan Pembuatan, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, Durian Tunggal 76100, Melaka, Malaysia.
⁴ School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Grosvenor Street, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to improve the processability of triglycidyl-p-aminophenol (TGPAP) epoxy resin. To achieve this improvement, a diluent, the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF or BPF), was added to TGPAP, and the blended epoxy was then cured with 4, 4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfones (DDS). A response surface methodology (RSM) was used, with the target response being to achieve a blended resin with a high glass transition temperature (T_g) and maximum pot life (or processing window, PW). Characterization through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and using a rheometer indicated that the optimum formulation was obtained at 55.6 wt.% of BPF and a stoichiometric ratio of 0.60. Both values were predicted to give T_g at 180 °C and a processing window of up to 136.1 min. The predicted values were verified, with the obtained T_g and processing window (PW) being 181.2 ± 0.8 °C and 140 min, respectively, which is close to the values predicted using the RSM.

Keywords: central composite design; crosslinking; epoxy blends; glass transition temperature; optimization; polymer; pot life; response surface methodology.

Abstract

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