Curing properties of covalently bonded polyoxazoline-imidazole thermal latent curing agents for one-component epoxy resins

Epoxy resins are the most commonly utilized resins for the fabrication of polymer matrix composites. One-component epoxy resins (OCERs) are commonly utilized since they are easier to process, have a longer shelf life, produce higher-end products, and use less energy than two-component epoxy resins. Increasing the shelf life and modifying the curing temperature are crucial for OCERs. To address stability issues in OCERs, latent curing agents are employed. In this study, polyoxazoline-imidazole (POZ-Im) thermal latent curing agents (TLCs) were prepared by synthesizing different types of POZs and terminating them with imidazole. Diglycidyl ether bisphenol A (DGEBA) resin was mixed with POZ-Im TLCs to produce OCERs, and the curing behavior of the resulting OCERs was examined with DSC. The stability, uniformity, and thermal latency behavior of the OCERs were examined in relation to the hydrophilicity of the POZ.