Physico-chemical study of chalcone moiety containing epoxy resin and its fiber reinforced composites

Abstract

Chalcone moiety containing epoxy resin (ECH) has been synthesized by condensing 0.5 mol 1,3-bis(4-hydroxy phenyl) prop-2-ene-1-one and 2.2 mol epichlorohydrin using 1 mol sodium hydroxide in 70 ml water as a catalyst and isopropyl alcohol as a solvent at reflux temperature for 20 min. ECH used in the study had 263 epoxy equivalent, = 809, = 275, and = 2.94. ECH has been cured using 5–25% triethyl amine as a hardener at 100 °C. ECH and ECH-T-20 (cured) have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared, 1Proton nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetric, and thermogravimetric analysis. ECH and ECHT-20 are thermally stable up to about 225o and 288o, respectively, and followed multistep degradation. Jute and glass composites have been fabricated by hand layup technique at 135 °C under 27.58 MPa pressure for 4 h. JECHT-20 and GECHT-20 possess, respectively, 38.7 and 288.6 MPa tensile strength; 26 and 296.3 MPa flexural strength; >8.9 and >21.7 kV/mm electric strength; and 1.1 × 1012 and 2.1 × 1013 Ω cm volume resistivity. Fairly good thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the resin and composites may find their industrial importance for various applications.