High Glass Transition Materials from Sustainable Epoxy Resins with Potential Applications in the Aerospace and Space Sectors

High glass transitions, high storage moduli, high thermal stability, and low water absorption values are crucial criteria of high-performant materials, though there is a challenge when we are confronting the bio-resourced materials with their performances. This work proposes the chemical combination of aromatic bio-based epoxy monomers with potential bio-based anhydrides to produce thermosetting materials with competitive performances. Triglycidyl ether of phloroglucinol (TGPh) and diglycidyl ether of vanillyl alcohol (DGEVA) were copolymerized with hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride or methyl nadic anhydride. These copolymerization reactions start at low temperature, from 35 or 70 degrees C; that is a first advantage for an industrial upscaling. The produced thermosets have high bio-based carbon content, similar to 50-60%, high glass transition values (>100 degrees C for DGEVA-based resins and >200 degrees C for TGPh resins), high storage moduli (2.7-3.1 GPa at 30 degrees C), high thermal stability (T-5% = 329-359 degrees C), and very low water absorption (in average similar to 1.5% after 15 days). These performances of these biobased thermosets open windows of application in space, aerospace, or naval industry.

Automated summary

This study proposes a chemical combination of aromatic bio-based epoxy monomers with potential bio-based anhydrides to produce thermosetting materials with competitive performances. The resulting materials have high bio-based carbon content, high glass transition temperatures, high storage moduli, high thermal stability, and low water absorption values, making them suitable for applications in space, aerospace, or naval industry.