Application of Thermogravimetric Analyzer in Resin Industry

Epoxy resin, as a high-performance thermosetting material, is widely used in fields such as adhesives, coatings, electronic packaging, and composite materials due to its excellent bonding strength, chemical corrosion resistance, and electrical insulation properties. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) can effectively evaluate the curing degree, thermal stability, composition, and aging behavior of epoxy resins by accurately measuring the quality changes of materials under programmed temperature control environment. It is a core technical means for material research and development, process optimization, and quality control.

1、 Experimental steps

1. Materials and equipment

Material: Epoxy resin coating as the test sample for this test

Instrument: DZ-TGA101 Thermogravimetric Analyzer

2. Experimental conditions

Atmosphere: Conduct a 30-600 ° C temperature rise test under full nitrogen protection, and the nitrogen atmosphere can simulate an inert gas environment.

Heating rate: Set the rate to 10 ° C/min and raise the temperature from room temperature (30 ° C) to 600 ° C. The choice of heating rate will affect the shape and characteristic temperature of the thermogravimetric curve, and 10 ° C/min is a commonly used heating rate in thermogravimetric analysis.

Sample quality: Weigh about 15-20mg of epoxy resin sample and place it inside the crucible of the thermogravimetric analyzer. The selection of sample quality should be moderate to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of the thermogravimetric curve.

3. Experimental steps

(1) Turn on the thermogravimetric analysis equipment and preheat the equipment.

(2) Weigh the sample and crucible, record the weight, and cover with a lid.

(3) Select the appropriate atmosphere and rate according to the experimental requirements, set the experimental parameters, start the equipment, and begin recording the curve of the sample's mass change with temperature.

(4) At the end of the experiment, save the curve and perform data analysis.

2、 Result analysis

Thermogravimetric analysis: Under a nitrogen atmosphere protected by nitrogen, the thermogravimetric curve of epoxy resin heated to 600 ° C is usually divided into two stages.

Room temperature around -500 ° C (weight loss of 25%): The sample quality rapidly decreases due to the volatilization of adsorbed water, low molecular weight additives, and curing agents; About 500 ° -600 ° (loss of 6%); The rate of decrease in sample quality slows down, and the main chain of epoxy resin decomposes; And generate some volatile products and carbon residue.

Characteristic temperature analysis: The characteristic temperatures in the thermogravimetric curve (such as the onset temperature, maximum thermal decomposition rate temperature, termination temperature, etc.) can reflect the thermal stability and thermal decomposition behavior of epoxy resin. By analyzing the thermogravimetric curves under different atmospheres, the characteristic temperatures of epoxy resin under different conditions can be obtained. Generally speaking, the higher the starting temperature of thermal decomposition, the better the thermal stability of epoxy resin; The higher the temperature, the slower the thermal decomposition process of epoxy resin.

3、 Experimental conclusion

Thermogravimetric analysis technology has demonstrated significant application value in the thermal stability assessment, formulation optimization, process improvement, and composite material development of the resin industry, providing critical support for quality control and material performance optimization. The results indicate that the thermal stability of epoxy resin is good under a nitrogen atmosphere, and the thermal decomposition process is relatively slow; By analyzing the thermogravimetric curve, the characteristic temperature of epoxy resin was obtained, providing important reference for the performance evaluation and application of epoxy resin.