Poly(furfuryl alcohol) bioresin-modified LY5210 epoxy thermosets

This study deals with the preparation of bio-based epoxy blends and of their mechanical, thermal, and morphological characterization. Thus, the commercial tetra-functional epoxy resin, LY5210, and various weight fractions of poly(furfuryl alcohol), PFA, were subjected into curing reaction by employing diethylenetriamine (DETA) as a curing agent. Mechanical properties of the intact resin as well as the epoxy-PFA blends have been explored to show the influence of the incorporated PFA on the epoxy matrix. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) revealed that the blends had slightly lower storage modulus than that of the neat epoxy. Interestingly, in tensile analysis, epoxy-PFA blends exhibited higher elastic modulus and lower toughness values. Surface study of the modified samples was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and morphological results confirmed the mechanical analyses results. Finally, the adhesion properties of resultant blends have been evaluated by subjecting them on to steel substrate and obtained results were correlated to mechanical properties. Generally, the results suggested the replacement of fossil-resourced epoxy resin with the PFA bio-based resin up to 25 wt% with negligible effect on mechanical and thermal properties. This achievement is important because the bioresin moieties may favor the environmental degradation of the thermoset network.