Acetone—Formaldehyde—Phenol based IPNs for Glass Fibre Reinforced Composite Applications

Abstract Three component IPNs Glass fibre reinforced composites (GRC) have been prepared from acetone-formaldehyde-phenol (AF-P) resin, Diglycedyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) (a commercial epoxy resin) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) (a vinyl monomer). The curing catalyst hexamethylene tetramine (HMTA) for AF-P, radical initiators 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) for MMA and curing catalyst 4,4′-diamino diphenyl methane (DDM) for epoxy resin were employed. All the IPN GRCs were characterized in terms of their resistance to chemical reagents, thermal behaviour (DSC, TGA) and mechanical properties.