Reactions in aminosilane‐epoxy prepolymer systems. II. Reactions of alkoxysilane groups with or without the presence of water

The hydrolysis and reactions of alkoxy silane groups have been studied on a model compound (TA) prepared from 2 mol of phenyl glycidyl ether and 1 mol of aminopropyl triethoxy silane. At low (40°C) and high (140°C) temperatures, the monomer conversion and the evolution of the molecular mass are followed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). During the same reaction time, the evolution of the functional groups, hydroxyl CHOH, ethoxy OC2H5, and siloxane SiOSi, is observed by FTIR spectroscopy. Without the presence of water, reactions between hydroxyl and ethoxy silane lead to gelation at the end of the reaction. A by‐product, probably a cyclic tetramer is also formed. After the hydrolysis, the reaction of the model compound is quite different. The product of reaction is always soluble, even after a treatment at high temperatures, and the evolution of the molecular mass versus the reaction time seems to correspond to the condensation giving a dead cyclic tetramer. From this study it is evident that the curing cycle has a great influence on the properties of the interface of a composite based on a epoxy matrix.