Cure kinetics of multifunctional epoxies with 2,2′-dichloro-4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane as hardener

The curing behavior of the epoxy resin N,N,N′,N′‐tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenyl methane (TGDDM) with triglycidyl p‐aminophenol as a reactive diluent was investigated using 2,2′‐dichloro‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (DCDDM) as the curing agent. The effect of the curing agent on the kinetics of curing, shelf‐life, and thermal stability in comparison with a TGDDM‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) system was studied. The results showed a lesser activation energy at the lower level of conversion with a broader cure exotherm for the epoxy‐DCDDM system in comparison with the epoxy‐DDS system, although the overall activation energy for the two systems was comparable. TGA studies showed more stability in the epoxy‐DCDDM system than in the epoxy‐DDS system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2097–2103, 2000