Characterization of the Cure Process in Melamine Formaldehyde-based Laminating Resins Using High-Pressure Differential Scanning Calorimetry, 1996 Plastic Laminates Symposium Proceedings

The application of dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a tool for characterizing the cure process in thermosetting polymers was extended to the study of melamine formaldehyde resin systems. High-pressure DSC (HE-DSC) techniques were required to successfully monitor the condensation polymerization of the resin from the pre-polymer, or A-stage, to its fmal, infusible state. Data generated by dynamic scanning evaluations of the resin system were analyzed using the ASTM E698 methodology to derive the activation energy associated with cure. First order reaction kinetics were evaluated for the resin system and were found to typically overestimate the observed conversion. Experimental data were combined with a general n th order kinetic model and the previously determined activation energy to determine a reaction order of n = 1.49 for the non-catalyzed resin system. These same tools were used to evaluate the influence of an acid catalyst on the characteristic kinetic parameters describing these cure processes.