Search Results (8)

This study aimed to evaluate the bondability of beech and alder wood modified through styrene polymerization within the wood lumen. Unmodified wood samples served as the reference material. Bondability was tested using four adhesive types commonly used in wood technology: polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), urea-formaldehyde (UF), phenol-resorcinol-formaldehyde (PRF), and epoxy resin. In addition to shear strength measurements, the adhesive density profile was also assessed. Results indicated that styrene modification generally reduced wood bondability, with reductions in shear strength ranging from 8% to 23% for beech wood and 1.6% to 29% for alder wood, depending on the adhesive type. The only exception was observed with the epoxy adhesive, which showed a 13% improvement in bonding quality for modified wood. These findings suggest that while styrene modification may enhance specific properties of wood, it can adversely affect its adhesion performance with some adhesive systems, except epoxy, which displayed improved compatibility with styrene-modified wood. The study offers insights for selecting suitable adhesives when using modified wood in structural applications. Full article

A method has been developed for producing an epoxy composition based on a low-viscosity epoxy-resorcinol resin, a phosphazene-containing curing agent, isophoronediamine, and thermally expanded graphite as a filler. The degree of cure and the absence of side reactions during the curing process were confirmed using IR spectroscopy. The influence of the content of phosphazene-containing curing agent and filler on the physico-mechanical properties of the composition, its fire resistance, and antistatic properties were studied. Using the UL-94 HB horizontal burning test, it was found that the addition of 10 and 20 wt. % phosphazene-containing curing agent (relative to isophoronediamine) reduces the burning speed by 10 times compared to a sample without phosphazene. The addition of a filler to a composition containing phosphazene reduces the burning speed by 25 times compared to a composition without phosphazene and imparts antistatic properties to the epoxy composition, as evidenced by the specific volume electrical resistance of the order of 10¹ Ohm·m. Phosphazene-containing curing agent had no statistically significant effect on specific volume electrical resistivity (p > 0.05). Tests of physico-mechanical and adhesive properties (tensile strength, compressive strength, water absorption, water solubility, abrasion resistance, and adhesive strength) of filled epoxy compositions with 10 and 20 wt. % phosphazene-containing curing agent demonstrated that these properties met the requirements for floor coverings in construction and parts of electrical devices. Full article

In this paper, a novel resorcinol-formaldehyde-free and environmentally friendly adhesives for polyester (PET) fiber impregnation treatment were compounded successfully. First, a network structure was formed by reacting micromolecular and water-soluble glycerol triglycidyl ether (GLTE) and triethylenetetramine (TETA). Then, this was mixed with latex in order to prepare an impregnation solution glycerol triglycidyl ether-triethylenetetramine-butyropyridine latex system (GTL), which can replace the toxic components (resorcinol and formaldehyde) of the resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex (RFL) impregnation system. Similarly, the macromolecular epoxy resin E-51-triethylenetetramine-butyropyridine latex system (ETL) and the traditional RFL impregnation system were also prepared in order to compare with the GTL. Further, the reaction conditions of the impregnation system, the surface chemical composition and interfacial properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and peeling strength, respectively. The results showed that the peeling adhesion performance between the GTL-modified PET fabric and the rubber (38.5% higher than that of the ETL impregnation solution) was comparable to that of the RFL impregnation system because of micromolecular and more active GLTE. This study provides new insights into the interface design of PET/rubber composites and will facilitate the development of PET/rubber composites. Full article

This study investigated the effects of phosphorus fire retardants (FRs) in matrices from co-cured blends of an unsaturated polyester (UP) with inherently fire-retardant phenolic resoles (PH) on the mechanical and flammability properties of resultant glass fibre-reinforced composites. Three different phenolic resoles with UP have been used: (i) an ethanol soluble (PH-S), (ii) an epoxy-functionalised (PH-Ep), and (iii) an allyl-functionalised resin (PH-Al) with two different phosphorus FRs: resorcinol bis (diphenyl phosphate) (RDP) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO). The flammabilities of the resultant composites were evaluated using cone calorimetry and the UL-94 test. Cone calorimetric results showed reductions in peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat released (THR) as expected compared to those of UP and respective UP/PH composite laminates without FRs. UL-94 tests results showed that while all composites had HB rating, FR containing samples self-extinguished after removal of the flame. The mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated using flexural, tensile and impact tests. All FRs reduced the mechanical properties, and the reduction in mechanical properties was more severe in UP/PH-S (least compatible blends) composites with FRs than in UP/PH-Al (most compatible blends) composites with FRs. Amongst the different composites, those from UP/PH-Al with DOPO showed the best fire retardancy with little deterioration of mechanical performance. Full article

This study has developed novel fully bio-based resorcinol epoxy resin–diatomite composites by a green two-stage process based on the living character of the cationic polymerization. This process comprises the photoinitiation and subsequently the thermal dark curing, enabling the obtaining of thick and non-transparent epoxy-diatomite composites without any solvent and amine-based hardeners. The effects of the diatomite content and the compacting pressure on microstructural, thermal, mechanical, acoustic properties, as well as the flame behavior of such composites have been thoroughly investigated. Towards the development of sound absorbing and flame-retardant construction materials, a compromise among mechanical, acoustic and flame-retardant properties was considered. Consequently, the composite obtained with 50 wt.% diatomite and 3.9 MPa compacting pressure is considered the optimal composite in the present work. Such composite exhibits the enhanced flexural modulus of 2.9 MPa, a satisfying sound absorption performance at low frequencies with Modified Sound Absorption Average (MSAA) of 0.08 (for a sample thickness of only 5 mm), and an outstanding flame retardancy behavior with the peak of heat release rate (pHRR) of 109 W/g and the total heat release of 5 kJ/g in the pyrolysis combustion flow calorimeter (PCFC) analysis. Full article

Thiswork is focused on the development of sustainable biocomposites based on epoxy bioresin reinforced with a natural porous material (hydrochar, HC) that is the product of spruce bark wastes subjected to hydrothermal decomposition. To identify the influence of hydrochar as a reinforcing material on the designed composites, seven formulations were prepared and tested. An aromatic epoxy monomer derived from wood biomass was used to generate the polymeric matrix, and the formulations were prepared varying the filler concentration from 0 to 30 wt %. The reactivity of these formulations, together with the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of bio-based resin and biocomposites, are investigated. Surprisingly, the reactivity study performed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that HC has a strong impact on polymerization, leading to an important increase in reaction enthalpy and to a decrease of temperature range. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) investigations confirmed the chemical bonding between the resin and the HC, while the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed increased values of crosslink density and of storage moduli in the biocomposites products compared to the neat bioresin. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) points out that the addition of hydrochar led to an improvement of the thermal stability of the biocomposites compared with the neat resorcinol diglycidyl ether (RDGE)-based resin (T_5% = 337 °C) by ≈2–7 °C. Significantly, the biocomposites with 15–20 wt % hydrochar showed a higher stiffness value compared to neat epoxy resin, 92SD vs. 82SD, respectively. Full article

Phosphazene-containing epoxy-resorcinol oligomers (PERO) are synthesized in one stage with the direct interaction of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCP), resorcinol, and epichlorohydrin in the presence of solid NaOH. Depending on the initial ratio of HCP:resorcinol, PERO contains from 20 to 50 wt.% phosphazene component (2.0–4.8% of phosphorus) and have an epoxy group content up to 30 %. Products are characterized using ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. According to mass spectrometry, the phosphazene fractions of PERO include up to 30 individual compounds with a predominance of cyclotriphosphazenes with one unsubstituted chlorine atom and four or five glycidyl groups. PERO has a lower viscosity in comparison with similar resins based on bisphenol A, which can simplify their use as a binder for polymer composites, adhesives, and paints. Full article

Low viscosity, potentially renewable aliphatic epoxy resins, appropriate for processing with injection techniques were flame retarded with the use of resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP), acting predominantly in the gas phase, ammonium polyphosphate (APP), acting in the solid phase, and their combination. Samples of gradually increasing phosphorus (P) content (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%) and mixed formulations with 2% P from APP and 2% P from RDP were prepared. The fire retardancy of matrix and carbon fibre reinforced samples was examined by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 tests, and mass loss calorimetry. The thermal stability of the matrices was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, whereas the effect of flame retardants (FRs) on the crosslinking process and glass transition temperature was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry in matrices and by dynamic mechanical analysis in composites. According to the results, although the trifunctional glycerol -based (GER) and the tetrafunctional pentaerythritol-based (PER) epoxy resins have a similar initial LOI and horizontal burning rate, GER has an approximately 1.5 times higher peak of heat release rate (pHRR) than PER. At least 4% P content is necessary to reach a reasonable improvement in fire performance in these resin transfer molding (RTM)-compatible systems and with the same FR-content PER reaches better fire performance. RDP has an early gas phase effect at the beginning of degradation, while later on the solid phase action of APP prevails, although in composites hindered by the reinforcing carbon fibres. In PER composites, the combination of APP and RDP had a synergistic effect, leading to a pHRR of 218 kW/m² and total heat release of 18.2 MJ/m². Full article