Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on the Curing Kinetics of Epoxy Vinyl Ester Resin

Abstract

A nanocomposite was synthesized using silica nanoparticles (SN) and Epoxy Vinyl Ester Resin (VE671). Nanoparticles were dispersed in the mixture by ultrasonic equipment to prevent the agglomera-tion. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to investigate the dispersion of the silica nanopar-ticles in the mixture. Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique was used to study the cure kinetics of VE671 resin with and without adding silica nanoparticles. The activation energy (Ea) was determined by using Kissinger and Ozawa equations. The Ea values of curing for VE671 / 4% SN sys-tem showed a decrease with respect to the neat resin. It means that there is a catalytic effect of silica na-noparticles in the cure reaction. A dynamic kinetic model was obtained to predict the degree of cure and cure rate of resin. The results showed a good agreement between the model and the experimental data for different heating rates. The char yields increased with the addition of 4% of SN to the epoxy resin and im-proved the polymer flame retardancy and thermal resistance at high temperatures. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/35454