Synthesis and characterization of modified epoxy resins and novel E-glass-/spectra-reinforced composites

Siliconized epoxy matrix systems have been developed using diglycidyl ether bisphenol A LY556 epoxy resin as a base, hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane as modifier, and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as cross-linking agent together with dibutyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. Triethylene tetramine was used as a curing agent. Electrical-resistant glass (E-glass) and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (spectra)-reinforced composites are fabricated by hand-layup technique using the siliconized epoxy matrix systems. The effect of siloxane and the two fibers on the thermal and morphological characteristics of the siliconized epoxy polymer composites were studied using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The study reveals that the thermal stability of the epoxy systems is enhanced when siloxane is incorporated in them. Morphological studies show that the E-glass fiber reinforcement has better intermolecular adhesion to the epoxy resin than spectra reinforcement due to the presence of ionic sites.