Study on functional microcapsules containing catalysts for controlling the curing time and temperature of epoxy resin

摘要

In this study, functional microcapsules (FMs) were designed for controlling the curing time and temperature of epoxy through modifications to thermally expandable microcapsules. The FMs were prepared with a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons and N,N-dimethylbenzylamine in the core, and acrylonitrile (AN)-methyl methacrylate copolymer or AN-methacrylate copolymer were used for the shell. Since the FMs were intentionally designed to have thermally vulnerable polymeric shells, the catalyst in the core could be released at the designated temperature. Therefore, FMs do not activate in epoxy at room temperature; rather, the FMs only become functional when the epoxy is cured under a heated atmosphere. Released catalyst at the higher temperature was confirmed by pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and optical microscopy. This study shows that the results will depend on the different compositions of liquid hydrocarbons and catalyst. Particle size of the capsules was changed with different ratio of catalyst and liquid hydrocarbon at the core and type of polymeric shell. Differential scanning calorimetry and rheometer results showed that higher catalyst loading resulted lower in crystalline and shear thickening temperature, respectively. Adhesion strength of epoxy containing FMs was analyzed by lap shear strength in order to detect the void effect due to released gas from the FM. (c) 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47499.