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Curing behavior and rheology properties of alkyl‐imidazolium‐treated rectorite/epoxy nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Li Wei,
Hou Linxi,
Zhou Qi,
Yan Liu,
Loo Leslie S.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.23500
Subject(s) - curing (chemistry) , materials science , differential scanning calorimetry , rheology , activation energy , epoxy , nanocomposite , chemical engineering , ionic liquid , composite material , polymer chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , thermodynamics , physics , engineering
A novel organic rectorite (OREC) was prepared by treating the natural sodium rectorite (Na‐REC) with ionic liquid 1‐hexadecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide ([C16mim]Br). The curing behaviors of nanocomposites were quantitatively studied according to the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheology methods. It was shown by DSC that the activation energies of epoxy system decreased when OREC with reactive imidazole groups were incorporated. The viscosity and viscous flow activation energy were obtained by rheology during the curing reaction. The curing kinetics of the nanocomposites was also deduced from dynamic viscosity analysis and isotherm viscosity analysis. Better dispersion states of the filler can decrease the curing reaction activation energy. The best processing conditions of the nanocomposites were found. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 53:2470–2477, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers