REAL-TIME MONITORING OF MASS CHANGE DURING THE STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION OF AN EPOXY GLASS SUBSEQUENT TO RELATIVE HUMIDITY JUMPS THROUGH THE GLASS TRANSITION

摘要

The structural recovery response of an epoxy resin subjected to relative humidity (RH) and carbon dioxide (PCO_2) jumps has been investigated by the real time monitoring of the mass change. Results show that, the structural recovery phenomenon is qualitatively similar to that observed by volume change measurements (1) and also qualitatively similar to results obtained after temperature jumps (T-jumps) (2). In addition, sorption/desorption measurements during up- and down-jumps in relative humidity are the first demonstration of the real-time monitoring of mass-change during the structural evolution of a glassy epoxy subjected to plasticizer jumps.