Preparation and performance study of heat released microcapsule-type latent curing agent 2PZ-PGMA

A novel heat released microcapsule-type latent curing agent was successfully prepared by solvent evaporation technique with 2-phenylimidazole (2PZ) as core material and polyglycidyl methacrylete (PGMA) as wall material. The chemical structure, core material content, surface morphology, size distribution and curing characteristics of as-prepared microcapsule-type curing agent were characterized by FT-IR, TGA, SEM, granulometer and DSC. The microcapsules had a smooth surface and displayed a narrow size distribution with the mean size of 17. 6μm, and their wall thickness was about 1. 1 μm with core material content about 20. 1(wt)%. In addition, the one-component adhesive made from the microcapsules and epoxy resin E-51 showed advanced curing characteristics, latent properties and bonding performance. The E-51/PGMA microcapsule system can be cured at 100°C in 30min and its shelf life at room temperature is more than 33 days with its tensile shear strength about 15. 36MPa.