Modification of an epoxy resin with a fluoroepoxy oligomer for improved mechanical and tribological properties

A commercial diglycidylether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy was modified by blending with a fluoroepoxy oligomer diglycidyl of trifluoromethyl aniline (DGTFA), with the content of DGTFA 2.5-20 phr. Thermogravimetry shows that the incorporation of tertiary amines results in a reduction in thermal stability. The storage modulus in the glassy state increases significantly as a function of DGTFA content due to antiplasticization. Higher wear resistance and lower dynamic friction are achieved by incorporation of DGTFA. At least for the range of this study, while increasing the amount of DGTFA, both wear rate and dynamic friction are reduced due to the formation of a protective transfer film (third body). The product of flexural strength and strain at deflection point is found to correlate with the reduction in wear rate. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.