Cross-Linking Effect on Segmental Dynamics of Well-Defined Epoxy Resins

Epoxy resins with a network structure, which are obtained by curing reactions of epoxy and amine compounds, are an important class of thermosetting resins. We here report the segmental dynamics of epoxy resins in which the three-dimensional network was well-defined and systematically varied. What we found by experiments in conjunction with atomistic molecular dynamics simulation was that when the cross-linking density in the epoxy resins increased, the glass transition temperature increased with an associated reduction in the spatial scale of the cooperative rearranging region and the increase in the dynamic heterogeneity. The knowledge here obtained should be useful for a better understanding of the physical properties of thermosetting polymers.