Study of the epoxy system BADGE ( n = 0)/1,2‐DCH/CaCO 3 filler by DMA and DSC

The influence of an inorganic filler, CaCO 3 , on the curing kinetics of an epoxy system composed of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A [BADGE ( n = 0)], 1,2‐diaminecyclohexane (1,2‐DCH), and CaCO 3 filler was studied by DMA and DSC. Different contents of filler in the range from 10 to 30%, referred to the total weight of the mixture, were tried. It was found that maximum reproducibility of the results and better performance correspond to a filler content of 20%. As usual, the T g 's obtained by DMA and DSC are different at 10–20°C. The results obtained from this study were compared with those corresponding to the system BADGE ( n = 0)/1,2‐DCH without filler; the T g for this last system is higher than that for the system with filler incorporated, whereas E ′ and M c (molecular weight between repetition units) are lower for the system without filler. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 366–370, 2002