Investigation of Cure Kinetics and Storage Stability of the o-Cresol Novolac Epoxy Nanocomposites with Pre-intercalated Phenolic Hardeners

The cure kinetics of the epoxy-layered, silicate nanocomposites were studied by differential scanning calorimetry under isothermal and dynamic conditions. The materials used in this study were o-cresol novolac epoxy resin and phenol novolac hardener, with organically modified layered silicates. Various kinetic parameters, including the reaction order, activation energy, and kinetic rate constants, were investigated, and the storage stability of the epoxy-layered silicate nanocomposites was measured. To synthesize the epoxy-layered silicate nanocomposites, the phenolic hardener underwent pre-intercalation by layered silicate. From the cure kinetics analyses, the organically modified layered silicate decreased the activation energy during cure reaction in the epoxy/phenolic hardener system. In addition, the storage stability of the nanocomposite with the pre-intercalated phenolic hardener was significantly increased compared to that of the nanocomposite with direct mixing of epoxy, phenolic hardener, and layered silicate. This was due to the protective effect of the reaction between onium ions and epoxide groups.