Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.58, No.9, 1583-1595, 2018
Thermal oxidation and thermal degradation kinetics of brominated epoxy resin/Sb2O3 flame retardant PA10T/GF composites
In this article, the thermal-oxidative aging effects on short-glass-fiber reinforced PA10T composites (PA10T/GF) filled with brominated epoxy resin/Sb2O3 (BER/AT) were investigated. The composites were exposed in a ventilated oven with different aging temperatures of 160 degrees C, 200 degrees C, and 240 degrees C for 0-50 d. The results showed that the crystallinity decreased after aging, and the mechanical properties deteriorated due to the oxidation of PA10T resin and the reduction of interfacial adhesion as shown by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. The dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that the micro-crosslinking reactions happened during 160 degrees C aging process and thus storage modulus increased as well as glass transition temperature (T-g). However, the molecular degradation dominated in the later phase of 200 degrees C and 240 degrees C aging; this resulted in the decrease of T-g and the emergence of a large number of small molecules. The resin residue rate obtained from thermal gravimetric analysis increased after aging. After 30 d of aging at 240 degrees C, the composites showed an obvious carbonization and the composite structure was destroyed severely. Also, the thermal stability of the composites decreased obviously when aged at 200 degrees C for 30 and 50 d according to the kinetic analysis of thermal degradation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1583-1595, 2018. (c) 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers