Analysis of the crosslinking process of epoxy–phenolic mixtures by thermal scanning rheometry

The curing reaction of different mixtures of an epoxy resin (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A type) and a phenolic resin (resole type) cured with different amine concentrations (triethylene tetramine) was studied with thermal scanning rheometry under isothermal conditions from 30 to 95°C. The gel time, defined by several criteria, was used to determine the apparent activation energy of the process. Moreover, with an empirical model used to predict the change in the complex viscosity versus time until the gel time was reached, and under the assumption of first-order kinetics, the apparent rate constant and the apparent activation energy for the curing process were calculated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 818–824, 2005