Thermal Stability of Trifunctional Epoxy Resins Modified with Nanosized Calcium Carbonate

Abstract

Trifunctional epoxy resin triglycidyl paraaminophenol (TGPAP)/<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> nanocomposites were prepared using the melt blending method. The effects of nano-<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> content on the thermal behaviors, such as cure behavior, glass transition temperature (<TEX>$T_g$</TEX>), thermal stability, and the coefficient of thermal extension (CTE), were investigated by several techniques. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the cure reaction of the TGPAP epoxy resin was accelerated with the addition of nano-<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX>. When the nano-<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> content was increased, the <TEX>$T_g$</TEX> of the TGPAP/<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> nanocomposites did not obviously change, whereas the crosslinking density was linearly increased. The nanocomposites showed a higher thermal stability than that of the neat epoxy resin. This result could be attributed to the increased surface contact area between the nano-<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> particles and the epoxy matrix, as well as the high crosslinking density in the TGPAP/<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> nanocomposites. The CTE of the nanocomposites in the rubbery region was significantly decreased as the nano-<TEX>$CaCO_3$</TEX> content was increased.