Research and development of new polymer materials from water-cured epoxy resins

The curing mechanism in water is primarily based on the epoxy–amine ring opening reaction, which is promoted by accelerators and partially assisted by water, leading to the formation of a stable and durable crosslinked polymer network. FT-IR, DSC, and TGA analyses confirmed the successful occurrence of the synthesis reaction, with clear evidence of a crosslinked network structure and high thermal stability. Soxhlet extraction tests revealed that an amine ratio of 40/100 provided optimal performance, achieving ~72% curing after 0,5 h and approaching nearly 100% after 8 h, reflecting a reasonable balance between reaction rate and curing efficiency. Rheological evaluations demonstrated that the epoxy system exhibits non-Newtonian behavior, maintaining low viscosity even at elevated temperatures, which is advantageous for pumping operations. In addition, the gelation time of 7 h 15 min ensures sufficient initial fluidity while still enabling timely development of mechanical properties after consolidation.