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Abstract. Curing and rheological behaviour, glass transition temperature, mechanical and thermal properties of two newly synthesized glucopyranoside-(GPTE) and glucofuranoside-(GFTE) based renewable epoxy resin (EP) components were investigated and compared to aromatic and aliphatic EPs. The glucose-based EPs can be successfully cured with amine and anhydride type curing agents, their gel times are suitable for processing and can be well-adopted to the needs of the common composite preparation methods. GPTE showed the highest glass transition temperature (T g ) among all investigated resins, followed by GFTE and DGEBA. Below the T g there was no significant difference between the storage modulus values of the EP systems. The glucose-based EPs had lower tensile and bending strength, but their tensile modulus values are not significantly different from the mineral oil based EPs. The thermal stability of the synthesized GPTE and GFTE is between DGEBA and the aliphatic resins. In applications where bending stresses are dominant over the tensile ones, and outstanding T g is required, these glucose-based resins offer a feasible renewable option.

Abstract. Cyanate ester/epoxy resin (CE/EP) carbon fibre reinforced composites consisting of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and novolac type cyanate ester (CE) were prepared and reactively flame retarded using epoxy functional adduct of DGEBA and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO). Effect of cyanate ester and flame retardant (FR) ratio was determined on matrix viscosity, matrix and composite glass transition temperature (T g ), as well as composite mechanical properties including storage modulus, tensile, bending, interlaminar shear and Charpy impact properties. Although the epoxy resin (EP) and FR decreased the T g , even the flame retarded CE/EP blends had at least 22°C higher T g than the benchmark DGEBA composite. As for the mechanical properties, as a result of higher interlaminar shear strength suggesting better fibre-matrix adhesion, the CE/EP blends managed to over-perform the reference CE in most cases: The 2% phosphorus (P)-containing CE/EP composite had 25% higher tensile strength than the CE reference. The bending strength of the blends remained in the same range as the reference, while the impact resistance significantly increased in comparison to CE, especially in flame retarded composites.

Carbon fibre reinforced flame-retarded bioepoxy composites were prepared from commercially available sorbitol polyglycidyl ether (SPE) cured with cycloaliphatic amine hardener. Samples containing 1, 2, and 3% phosphorus (P) were prepared using additive type flame retardants (FRs) resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and their combinations. The fire performance of the composites was investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 tests, and mass loss calorimetry. The effect of FRs on the glass transition temperature, and storage modulus was evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), while the mechanical performance was investigated by tensile, bending, and interlaminar shear measurements, as well as by Charpy impact test. In formulations containing both FRs, the presence of RDP, acting mainly in gas phase, ensured balanced gas and solid-phase mechanism leading to best overall fire performance. APP advantageously compensated the plasticizing (storage modulus and glass transition temperature decreasing) effect of RDP in combined formulations; furthermore, it led to increased tensile strength and Charpy impact energy.

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A systematic study was performed to describe the effect of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) on storage modulus, glass transition temperature (Tg) and mechanical properties in epoxy resin composites reinforced by jute fabric. In addition to aromatic diglycidylether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) resin, a glycerol (GER)‐and a pentaerythritol (PER)‐based aliphatic resin was applied as base resin, which can be also synthesized from renewable feedstock. Based on strip tensile test results, the usual alkali treatment of jute fabric was avoided. By increasing the ESO‐content in aliphatic composites the Tg increases, whereas in case of DGEBA, it decreases. The results indicate that although ESO has a significant softening effect, the jute fiber‐reinforced DGEBA composite can be replaced without significant compromise in mechanical properties by a potentially fully bio‐based composite consisting of 25 mass% ESO‐containing aliphatic PER‐reinforced by jute fibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:884–892, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers