Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Processes of preparing a desired or intentional composition...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-05
2002-08-13
Dawson, Robert (Department: 1712)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Processes of preparing a desired or intentional composition...
C528S094000, C528S116000, C528S117000, C528S118000, C528S119000, C523S423000, C523S429000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06433042
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a curing agent for epoxy resin.
BACKGROUND ART
Epoxy resin is widely used as sealing material, coating composition, adhesive, etc, in a variety of fields such as electricity, electronics, and civil engineering and construction, because a cured product of epoxy resin has excellent electrical insulating properties, moisture proof, heat resistance, soldering resistance, chemical resistance, durability, adhesive property, and mechanical strength.
Conventionally, the curing of epoxy resin is carried out by adding a curing agent to epoxy resin, followed by heating. As typical representative examples of curing agent, there are, for example, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, isophoronediamine, diaminodiphenylmethane, diaminodiphenylsulfone, polyamides, dicyandiamide, hexahydrophthalic anhydride, methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride, methyl nadic anhydride, novolac type phenol resin, tertiary amines, imidazoles, and amine complex of boron trifluoride.
Of these curing agents, ones which can cure epoxy resin at room temperature are amine curing agents such as diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, polyamides, and tertiary amines. However, these curing agents require a long time of four to seven days for curing. It is difficult for other curing agents to be cured at room temperature, and they generally require a curing temperature of 80 to 200° C., and a curing time of 0.5 to 6 hours.
Meanwhile, an epoxy resin adhesive for outdoor construction is generally used in the field of civil engineering and construction. With a conventional curing agent, however, it is very difficult to cure epoxy resin without heating, as previously described. Even with one capable of curing, it takes an extremely long period of time, namely, four to seven days. Especially, for winter-season execution of works in which the outdoor temperature is often 10° C. and below, it is essential to initiate or promote the curing reaction by heating.
Such characteristic of epoxy resin adhesive prolongs the period of execution of works in civil engineering and construction, which is also one of the causes of interfering with labor saving.
Further, most of convention curing agents for epoxy resin have problems that curing ability decreases in the presence of water, a long time is required for curing, characteristics of cured product are greatly impaired, or cured product is not obtained. Therefore, in fact, use of curing agent is greatly limited in outdoor under rain or in shore-protection works.
An object of the present invention is to provide a curing agent for epoxy resin which can rapidly cure epoxy resin at ordinary temperature around 20° C. or a low temperatures in the range of near 0° C.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a curing agent for epoxy resin which is not disturbed in curing ability and even enhanced in curing velocity in the presence of water.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a curing agent for epoxy resin which comprises at least one selected from the compound of the formula (1) and its salt, as an effective component
wherein X is —(CH
2
)n- or —(CH
2
)1-Y—(CH
2
)m- , Y is —N(R
1
)—, —
0— or —S—, R
1
is alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or amino, n is a number of 2, 3, 5 to 11, 1 and m are each a number of 1 to 8.
A curing agent for epoxy resin of the invention is capable of curing epoxy resin at low temperatures,of ordinary temperature or below, and, in some instances, at extremely low temperatures in the range of near −20°C. Thus, when an epoxy resin adhesive for outdoor is used, for example, in civil engineering and construction, the adhesive an be cured without applying heat, by using a curing agent for epoxy resin of the invention. This affords a great merit on working process.
The present curing agent for epoxy resin has an unexpected properties which is not impaired in curing ability even in the presence of water, but is enhanced in curing velocity with addition of a suitable amount of water. Thus, the present curing agent can preferably be used in outdoor or under water circumstances. Further, the present curing agent can be provided in the form of an aqueous solution or aqueous composition. The amount of water is usually up to 3, preferably 0.8 to 2 in terms of molar ratio of water/curing agent.
In R
1
of the formula (1) in the present invention, examples of alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms are methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, hexyl and octyl. Examples of amino are NH
2
or those wherein one or two hydrogens of NH
2
are replaced by alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms are the same as above.
Examples of compounds of the formula (1) are 1-aminopiperidine, 1-aminohomopiperidine (AHP), 1-aminopiperazine, 1-amino-N′-methylpiperazine (AMPI), N,N′-diaminopiperazine, N-aminomorpholine (AMP), N-aminoaziridine (AAD), N-aminoazacycloundecene (AACU), N-aminothiomorpholine (ATMP) and 1-amino-4-octylpiperazine (AOPI).
Among these compounds particularly preferable are 1-aminohomopiperidine (AHP), 1-amino-N′-methylpiperazine (AMPI), N-aminomorpholine (AMP) and N-aminothiomorpholine (ATMP). Examples of salts of these compounds are hydrochloride, phosphate and sulfate.
Although the compound of the above formula (1) can be added directly, in the form of powder or liquid, to epoxy resin as a curing agent for epoxy resin. Alternatively, these are used in the form of an aqueous solution, organic solvent solution, or dispersion. Examples of organic solvent are lower alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and isopropanol; aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and xylene; aliphatic hydrocarbons such as hexane; ethers; polar solvent; and halogenated hydrocarbons. In addition, a solution of water and a suitable organic solvent or dispersion may be used. Of these various forms, an aqueous solution is particularly preferred.
The amount of curing agent for epoxy resin to be used to epoxy resin is not specifically limited. It may be suitably selected from a wide range, depending on various conditions such as the kind of epoxy resin, the kind and amount of other additives, the use of a cured product of epoxy resin to be obtained, and the curing conditions (the designed curing time and temperature, curing location, etc.). It is usually about 0.5 to 2 equivalents, preferably about 0.7 to 1.2 equivalents of epoxy group of the epoxy resin per equivalent of amine group of the effective compound.
Conventional curing agent and curing accelerator can be added, as required, to a curing agent for epoxy resin of the invention insofar as its preferred characteristic is not impaired. As a curing agent, the same various ones as mentioned in prior art are usable, and it is also possible to use melamine, methylolmelamine, resol type compound, etc. As a curing accelerator are used, for example, tertiary amines such as tri-n-butylamine, benzylmethylamine and 2,4,6-tris(dimethylaminomethyl)phenol; and imidazoles such as 2-methylimidazole, 2-ethylimidazole, 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole and 2-phenylimidazole. These curing agents and curing accelerators can be used singly or in a combination of at least two of them.
Epoxy resin which can be cured with the curing agent of the invention is not specifically limited, and various epoxy resins are usable. Examples thereof are glycidyl ether type epoxy resin, glycidyl ester resin and glycidylamine type epoxy resin.
Examples of glycidyl ether type epoxy resin are bisphenol A type, bisphenol F type, brominated bisphenol A type, hydrogenated bisphenol A type, bisphenol S type, bisphenol AF type, biphenyl type, naphthalene type, fluorene type, phenol novolac type, cresol novolac type, DPP novolac type, trifunctional type, tris(hydroxyphenyl)methane type, and tetraphenylolethane type epoxy resins.
Examples of glycidyl ester type epoxy resin are hexahydrophthalate type and phthalate type epoxy resins.
Examples of glycidylamine type epoxy resin are tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane, triglycidyl isocyanurate, hydantoin type, 1,3-bis(N,N-diglycidylaminomet
Furuichi Tomohiro
Ishikawa Keiichiro
Kitajima Takashi
Nabeshima Akihiro
Tomotaki Yoshihisa
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
Aylward D.
Dawson Robert
Otsuka Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha
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