CROSS-LINKING OF AN EPOXY WITH A MIXED AMINE AS A FUNCTION OF STOICHIOMETRY .2. FINAL PROPERTIES VIA DYNAMIC MECHANICAL SPECTROSCOPY

Variation of the epoxy/curing agent ratio for a system containing a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) and a mixed aromatic amine was found to have a significant effect on the cure kinetics and final dynamic mechanical properties of both the neat resin and glass reinforced epoxy. For a partial B‐stage cure to an ultimate C‐stage cure, optimum cure temperatures were obtained as a function of stoichiometry. For the ultimately cured (C‐stage) resin, the molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc) passed through a minimum, and both the glass transition temperature (Tg) and a secondary (sub‐Tg) transition passed through a maximum at the stoichiometric ratio. In addition, the activation energy of the ultimately cured resin passed through a maximum at or near the stoichiometric ratio for both the Tg and sub‐Tg transitions. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.