Assessment of morphological, thermal, and viscoelastic properties of epoxy vinyl ester coating composites: Role of glass flake and mixing method

In this work, glass flake (GF)/epoxy vinyl ester resin composites were fabricated with various compositions and mixing methods. The effect of GF on thermal and mechanical behavior of these composites was investigated using different techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the presence of GF in epoxy vinyl ester formulation could obviously affect the cure temperature, reaction enthalpy value, and degradation temperature. DMTA results also exhibited that the tan δ peak area decreased and storage modulus increased with increasing GF content and this effect seemed to be different depending on the initial epoxy vinyl ester compositions. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that mixing method had a strong effect on the surface morphology, size, and distribution of glass flake. The effect of mixing method on properties of produced composite was also studied.

The presence of glass flake in epoxy vinyl ester coating formulation affected the cure temperature, reaction enthalpy value and degradation temperature and also the mixing method had an impressive effect on the surface morphology, size and distribution of glass flakes.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► The quality of dispersion depends on glass flake content and processing parameters.
► Glass flake in epoxy vinyl ester formulation affects cure temperature, reaction enthalpy, and degradation temperature.
► An increase is found in storage modulus and complex viscosity on glass flake addition.
► Surface morphology, distribution, and size of glass flake are significantly changed after glass flake incorporation.
► Thermal stability is promoted after introducing glass flake.