Effect of Electron Beam and -Ray Irradiation on the Curing of Epoxy Resin

The effect of an electron beam and ${\gamma}$-ray irradiation on the curing of epoxy resins was investigated. Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF) as epoxy resin were used. The epoxy resins containing 1.0-3.() wt% of triarylsulphonium hexafluoroantimonate(TASHFA) and triarylsulphonium hexafluorophosphate(TASHFP) as initiator were irradiated under nitrogen at room temperature with different dosage of EB and ${\gamma}$-rays from a Co$^{60}$ u source. The chemical and mechanical characteristics of irradiated epoxy resins were compared after curing of EB and ${\gamma}$-ray irradiation. The thermal properties of cured epoxy were investigated using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The chemical structures of cured epoxy were characterized using near infrared spectroscopy. Mechanical properties such as flexural strength, modulus were measured. The gel fraction of DGEBA with ${\gamma}$-ray was higher than that of the epoxy with EB at the same dose. Young's modulus of the sample irradiated by ${\gamma}$-ray is higher than that of sample cured by EB. From the result of strain at yield, it was found that the epoxy cured by ${\gamma}$-ray had a higher stiff property compared with the irradiated by EB.