Effect of CO2 fixation reaction on dynamic mechanical properties of epoxy resin

Bifunctional epoxy resin (DGEBPA) was modified by CO2 fixation reaction. Unmodified Epoxy resin (UME) and CO2 Fixed Epoxy resin (CFME) at different amount of carbonation were cured by diethylen three amine (DETA) as curing agent, and effect of carbonation content on dynamic mechanical properties was investigated. A smooth and flat fracture surface morphology for UME and a rough fracture surface morphology for CFME were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Using CO2 as a greenhouse gas opens up the possibility of utilizing low-cost modifier to toughen epoxy resin, which gets more attention from green chemistry point of view.