Kinetic study of the stabilizing effect of aluminum trihydroxide on thermal degradation of epoxy resin

Abstract

AbstractThe stabilizing effect of epoxy resin (EP)/aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in an N2 flow. The Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods were used to determine the activation energy of non-isothermal degradation at different stages. The results showed that there was a slight increase in activation energy after ATH was added. It confirms the fire-retardant effect of ATH on the thermal degradation behaviour of pure EP. The Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method showed that flame-retardant ATH remarkably enhanced the activation energy of the thermal degradation process for EP, albeit the conversion rate being only 10%, which demonstrated the stabilization of ATH to the char layer of EP.