Epoxy is thermosetting, which means it cures based on the surrounding temperature. Once the epoxy is cured, then it could not be uncured. Epoxy is an epoxide which means that it is more reactive than other chemicals. A polyoxide is made up of unreacted epoxide. This mostly means that pure epoxy is greatly susceptible to the reaction with other chemicals. The other chemicals included in epoxy are hardening and curing agents, which work to bond it into a very strong adhesive. Epoxy is made by reacting epoxy resin and a hardener. The wide range of epoxy resins are themselves an industrial product that comes from petroleum and also the result of the reactive epoxide process. Cured epoxy resins may either be like honey or in a more viscous form.
Epoxy resin is stable at room temperature and only fixed when using some kind of curing agent. This is the reaction through which further reactions can be performed.
TYPES OF EPOXY RESINS
Now we will take a look at different types of epoxy resins.
Bisphenol A
This is the most commonly used epoxy resin when we talk about the epoxy coating. These are present in a very large range of molecular weight, which makes them adaptable when it comes to the application of epoxy. It is a honey-like liquid and is largely used for solid coating and flooring systems. It is fixed by using different curing agents at a good surrounding temperature. Reactive diluent has a great effect on diluting the epoxy.
Bisphenol F
This epoxy is less viscous than Bisphenol-A. This epoxy is quite more expensive than the Bisphenol-A epoxy. This also provides solvent chemical resistance. This epoxy is used in varieties of applications that secure them in the use of epoxies in general.
Novolac
Bisphenol F is the simplest form of Novolac resin. Novolac has more reactive groups in its subgroup and is highly cross-linked than both bisphenol A and Bisphenol F. Novolac epoxy is much more viscous than others and results in higher functionality. Novolac has a higher curing temperature and is more delicate epoxy than the others.
WHAT IS EPOXY USED FOR?
Epoxy resin is very versatile and can be used in numerous projects such as, fixing of stone carpets indoor and outdoors, resin floor for shower tray, waterproof sealing for garage floors, model building projects, resin for topcoat, Gelcoat for boat building, modern renovation ideas for old buildings, quick repair with special UV resin, repairing and gluing small parts together, self-made kiteboard and self-construction of aquarium and terrarium.
ADVANTAGES OF EPOXY RESIN
- Strength
The polymeric structure of epoxies makes it able to build up a strong bond and one that is waterproof and able to withstand high temperatures.
- Compatibility
Epoxy can tie up the broad array of different materials, while other adhesives are more limited in their use. For example, polyvinyl requires absorptive surfaces, while epoxy resin offers great flexibility
- Speed
The binding time varies for epoxies, but for some fast-acting ones, it can be under an hour for functional cures.
