Study of the Physical Aging of the Epoxy System BADGE n=0/m-XDA/CaCO3

The physical aging of the epoxy network consisting of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (BADGE n = 0), m-xylylenediamine (m-XDA), and calcium carbonate was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The glass transition temperature and the variation of the specific heat capacities were calculated using the method based on the intersection of both enthalpy-temperature lines for glassy and liquid states. The apparent activation energy was calculated using a single method that involved separate temperature and excess enthalpy dependency. All calorimetric data were compared with those obtained for the epoxy network without filled calcium carbonate. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 2456-2461, 2009