Adjustable Resin Curing Agent for Toughness and Glass Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cured resins that are both mechanically tough and have a high glass transition temperature are difficult to achieve with existing systems, as methods to increase toughness typically reduce the glass transition temperature, making them unsuitable for structural applications.
Innovation Solution
A curable resin system with an adjustable structural unit that forms stable chain-like and ring-like arrangements, allowing the resin to adjust under stress conditions, providing toughness and high glass transition temperature through non-covalent interactions like hydrogen bonds, which are strong enough for stability but weak enough to rupture under stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If known methods are used to increase the glass transition temperature, then the glass transition temperature is improved, but the material becomes more brittle
Solution Approach 1:
The curing agent incorporates a dynamic adjustable unit that can reversibly transform between chain-like and ring-like conformations in response to stress. This dynamic structural adjustment allows the material to maintain high glass transition temperature while preventing brittle fracture through conformational adaptation under stress
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the structural parameter of the curing agent by introducing an adjustable unit with multiple stable conformations. This parameter change enables the material to achieve both high glass transition temperature and mechanical toughness by allowing structural adaptation at the molecular level
2Strength
If known methods are used to toughen a brittle resin, then the mechanical toughness is improved, but the glass transition temperature is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable unit in the curing agent provides dynamic structural adaptation capability, transforming between chain-like and ring-like forms under stress to enhance toughness while preserving the high glass transition temperature through stable conformational states
3Stability of the object's composition
If the attractive chemical interaction is stronger, then the ring-like arrangement stability is improved, but it becomes difficult to rupture under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the strength parameter of the attractive chemical interaction to achieve an optimal balance - strong enough to stabilize the ring-like arrangement at normal conditions, yet weak enough to allow rupture and conformational adjustment under stress, enabling both stability and toughness
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resin system achieves both high toughness and high glass transition temperature, enabling it to withstand structural stresses without fracturing, making it suitable for structural applications.
Implementation Method 1
The attractive chemical interaction may take a variety of forms, and can be, but is not limited to a hydrogen bond, an internal salt, a betaine, a charge transfer interaction, an electrostatic interaction or other non-covalent interaction capable of lending stability to the ring-like arrangement.
Implementation Method 2
when the cured resin is sufficiently stressed e.g. by tensile, shear, impact or flexure modes, the adjustable unit is able to adjust itself from one form or another (e.g. depending on whether the local environment is under compression or tension) allowing the cured resin to respond without fracture
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A curable resin comprising a curing agent, wherein the curing agent comprises an adjustable structural unit having a stable chain-like arrangement which is adjustable to a stable ring-like arrangement, wherein the ring-like arrangement comprises the constituents of the chain-like arrangement with two terminal constituents exhibiting an attractive chemical interaction, and is adjustable back from the ring-like arrangement to the chain-like arrangement by separation of the two terminal constituents.