| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 672856 | Thermochimica Acta | 2015 | 8 Pages |
•Lignin-based epoxy resins cured with aromatic and aliphatic amine curing agents.•Curing behavior was monitored by using DSC and evaluated by isoconversional models.•The mechanism of curing process was influence by the type of curing agents.•The thermal stability of epoxy resins depended on the type of curing agents and lignins.
Lignin-based epoxy resins were synthesized by reacting de-polymerized organosolv lignin (DOL) or de-polymerized Kraft lignin (DKL) with epichlorohydrin under an alkaline condition in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst. The synthesized lignin-based epoxy resins were cured with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM, an aromatic amine) and diethylenetriamine (DETA, an aliphatic amine) to generate a 3-dimentional cross-linked structure. The effects of curing agents on the curing process were investigated by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The dependency of activation energy of the curing reaction on the extent of curing (conversion) was determined in this study by model-free kinetics based on the DSC results. In addition, it was found that the thermal stability of the cured lignin-based epoxy resins was also influenced by the type of curing agents and the types of lignin used in the synthesis of the bio-based epoxy resins.
