Comparison of Cycloaliphatic and Linear Aliphatic Monomers in Corrosion Resistant Applications

摘要

Composites are becoming more impor-tant in the global quest for sustainable technolo-gies. Sustainability can be accomplished by many technologies: wind energy for power production, the use of natural fiber reinforcement, or naturally derived raw materials such as corn based 1,3-propanediol. However, a more subtle form of sus-tainable technology involves using materials that provide enhanced longevity in extreme applica-tions and environments. These materials may not be derived from sustainable sources, but their du-rability over traditional materials of construction provides significant savings over their lifetime considering labor and operating costs. Corrosion resistant composites are a good example. There are three main types of corrosion resistant compo-site resins: epoxy, vinyl ester, and traditional un-saturated polyester. The first two chemistries con-tain epoxy resin, thus exhibit very good corrosion resistance. Polyesters do not contain epoxy, so obtaining epoxy like performance with an unsatu-rated polyester resin is challenging. Monomer se-lection can have a significant impact on unsat cor-rosion performance with respect to resin Tg and steric hindrance. Using monomers that increase resin Tg while offering greater steric hin-drance/hydrolytic stability could prove useful in these applications. Cycloaliphatic monomers can provide Tg enhancement and toughness, but sty-rene solubility can be an issue. Branched linear aliphatic monomers can improve solubility and enhance hydrolytic stability, but may reduce resin Tg. This paper will explore polymer effects and subsequent corrosion resistance of a sterically hindered, semi-rigid, cycloaliphatic monomer; a highly branched linear aliphatic monomer; and a traditionally used linear aliphatic monomer in a statistically designed experiment.