Kinetics of the interfacial curing reaction for an epoxy-amine mixture

Effects of Curing Agents on the Adhesion of Epoxy Resin to Copper: A Density Functional Theory Study

Epoxy resins are widely used adhesives in industrial fields. To use epoxy resin as an adhesive, it is necessary to mix the epoxy resin with a hardener. Hardeners have various functional groups and skeletons, and the properties of epoxy resins vary depending on the hardener. Although the adhesion of epoxy resins has been extensively studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, few studies have evaluated the effect of hardener molecules. Therefore, in this study, DFT calculations of adhesion energies and bonding structures on Cu (111) and Cu2O (111) surfaces are performed for model molecules of adducts of epoxy resin with hardeners having various functional groups and skeletons to evaluate the influence of the hardeners on the adhesion of epoxy resin to the metal surface. The adhesion energy to the Cu (111) surface is governed by the energy due to dispersion forces. Hardeners of the thiol type, which contain relatively heavy sulfur atoms, and hardeners with aromatic rings, displaying high planarity, enable the entire molecule to approach the metal surface, resulting in a relatively high adhesion strength. The calculations for the Cu2O (111) surface show the adhesion strength is more strongly influenced by interactions such as hydrogen bonds between the surface and adhesive molecules than by dispersion forces. Therefore, in adhesion to Cu2O (111), the benzylamine-epoxy adduct with hydrogen bonding and OH-π interactions with the surface, in addition to having a relatively flexible framework, shows a high adhesion strength.

Effect of Condensed Water at an Alumina/Epoxy Resin Interface on Curing Reaction

The adhesion of epoxy adhesives to aluminum materials is an important issue in assembling parts for lightweight mobility. Aluminum surfaces typically possess an oxide layer, which readily adsorbs water. In this study, the aggregation states of water and its effect on the curing reaction were examined by placing a water layer between an amorphous alumina surface and a mixture of epoxy and amine components. This study used molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations. Before the reaction, water molecules strongly adsorbed onto the alumina surface, aggregating excess water. Some water diffused into the epoxy/amine mixture, accelerating the diffusion of unreacted substances. This led to faster reaction kinetics, particularly in proximity to the alumina surface. The adsorption of water molecules onto the alumina surface and the aggregation of excess water were similarly observed even after the curing process. Subsequently, the interaction between the alumina surface and various functional groups of the epoxy/amine mixture was evaluated before and after the reaction. Epoxy monomers had little interaction with the alumina surface before the reaction, whereas hydroxy groups formed by the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups exhibited notable interaction. Conversely, sulfonyl and amino groups in amine compounds formed hydrogen bonds with OH groups on the alumina surface before the reaction. However, after the reaction, amino groups weakened their interaction with the alumina OH groups as they transformed from primary to tertiary during the curing reaction. Both epoxy and amine monomers/fragments similarly interacted with water molecules, both before and after the reaction. The insights gained from this study are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of moisture absorption on the application of epoxy resins.

Absolute local conformation of poly(methyl methacrylate) chains adsorbed on a quartz surface

Polymer chains at a buried interface with an inorganic solid play a critical role in the performance of polymer nanocomposites and adhesives. Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy with a sub-nanometer depth resolution provides valuable information regarding the orientation angle of functional groups at interfaces. However, in the case of conventional SFG, since the signal intensity is proportional to the square of the second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility and thereby loses phase information, it cannot be unambiguously determined whether the functional groups face upward or downward. This problem can be solved by phase-sensitive SFG (ps-SFG). We here applied ps-SFG to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chains in direct contact with a quartz surface, shedding light on the local conformation of chains adsorbed onto the solid surface. The measurements made it possible to determine the absolute orientation of the ester methyl groups of PMMA, which were oriented toward the quartz interface. Combining ps-SFG with all-atomistic molecular dynamics simulation, the distribution of the local conformation and the driving force are also discussed.

Dynamic behaviours of epoxy resin thin films during the curing process

Epoxy resin thin films are widely used in applications such as coating materials, insulator films, and adhesives; accordingly, investigations of their physical properties have garnered increasing importance. Although the physical properties of thermoset epoxy thin films are strongly affected by the curing conditions, such as the heating temperature and curing time, the dynamic properties during the curing process have not been studied thoroughly. In this study, we investigated the thermal fluctuations on the surface of epoxy resin thin films using grazing-incidence X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, to elucidate the dynamic behaviours during the curing process. We thus succeeded in observing the freezing of capillary waves during the thermal curing process. These results are expected to facilitate a deeper understanding of the curing mechanisms of various thin films.

Shear adhesive strength between epoxy resin and copper surfaces: a density functional theory study

Shear adhesive strengths of epoxy resin for copper and copper oxide surfaces are estimated based on quantum chemical calculations. Shear adhesion has periodicity, and its origin is revealed.