Date Approved
7-16-2024
Embargo Period
7-16-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Chemical Engineering
College
Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering
Sponsor
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM-ARL)
Advisor
Giuseppe Palmese. Ph.D.
Committee Member 1
Kenneth K. S. Lau, Ph.D.
Committee Member 2
Samuel E. Lofland, Ph.D.
Committee Member 3
Joseph F. Stanzione, III, Ph.D.
Committee Member 4
Ngon T. Tran, Ph.D.
Keywords
epoxy; fiber-reinforced polymer composites; flame retardant; furan
Subject(s)
Fire-resistant materials
Disciplines
Chemical Engineering | Materials Science and Engineering
Abstract
Fire-retardant chemicals added to epoxy thermosets used as coatings, adhesives, and fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPCs) negatively impact performance and the environment. This dissertation takes a novel approach to mitigate the flammability of these systems by designing intrinsically fire-resistant epoxies via the incorporation of furan moieties. Glycidyl amines based on furfuryl amine and judiciously selected derivatives of furfuryl amine were synthesized to produce furan-based di-epoxies (FDEs) that were cured by anionic polymerization and with amine curing agents. The furan ring was found to impart additional reactivity for cross-linking and to induce char-forming reactions at higher temperatures. More importantly, the placement of the furan moiety within the network and the degree of substitution of the ring were found to influence thermal decomposition and char formation. Based on these results, a reaction pathway was proposed to explain the thermal decomposition and char formation of furan-containing systems. The decomposition associated with these network attributes was linked to flammability using micro-combustion calorimetry. FRPCs were prepared and tested using cone calorimetry and appropriate ASTM standards to demonstrate the intrinsic fire protection offered by FDEs. The results of this research lay the groundwork for designing furan-based epoxy thermosets with even greater fire protection capability.
Recommended Citation
Honnig Bassett, Amy E., "The Role of Furan Moieties on the Thermal Decomposition and Char Formation of Intrinsically Fire-Resistant Epoxy Thermosets for Composites" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 3273.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/3273
