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Experimental study demonstrates high mechanical and thermal performance of cardanol-catechol epoxy resins in carbon fiber composites, highlighting a sustainable alternative to petroleum systems.
A modified tetrafunctional phenolic epoxy resin was successfully developed using furfuraldehyde and cardanol with partial substitution of catechol. This approach offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly route for phenolic epoxy resin synthesis while significantly reducing dependence on toxic and petrochemical-derived raw materials, particularly formaldehyde. The epoxy resin was synthesized via epoxidation with epichlorohydrin and subsequently cured using various aromatic and aliphatic hardeners. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy verified the chemical structure, whereas viscosity, epoxy equivalent weight, and average molecular weight (2614 g/mol) indicated suitable flow behavior and crosslink density. The microstructural, surface, and interfacial properties of the cured systems were thoroughly investigated using AFM and XRD, revealing uniform morphology, effective elemental dispersion, and strong interfacial interactions. Carbon fiber-reinforced composites fabricated with the synthesized resin demonstrated excellent mechanical performance, exhibiting tensile strength values between 78.4 and 84.3 MPa and flexural strength ranging from 151.29 to 158.6 MPa. Chemical resistance tests showed negligible weight change in aggressive chemical environments, whereas thermal analysis revealed high thermal stability with decomposition temperatures between 223 and 293 °C. Overall, this work demonstrates a viable and sustainable strategy for producing high-performance and economical phenolic epoxy systems suitable for advanced composite applications.
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Raj et al. (2026) studied this question.
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