HYCAT™ 2000 & HYCAT™ 3000 CATALYST TECHNOLOGY

Hycat™ 2000 and Hycat™ 3000 promotes and accelerates the reaction of epoxy compounds with carboxylic acids, anhydrides and imides. These catalysts are especially effective in polymer cure systems at room temperature or slightly elevated temperatures. Studies show that when epoxide systems are catalyzed with Hycat™ Catalysts, very little homopolymerization occurs. By using compounds with monomeric, dimeric or trimeric functional groups, the degree of cross-linking and therefore the mechanical properties of the resulting product can be advantageously changed. Hycat™ Catalysts can be used in composites, cast moldings, coatings, sealants, adhesives, laminates, UV-cures, elastomer modified (toughened or flexed) epoxy resins, synthetic high polymers, filament windings, fiber reinforced plastics and encapsulation and potting. Examples of typical Hycat™ Catalysts epoxide reactions are shown in the chemical equations below.

Hycat™ 3000 acts similarly to Hycat™ 2000 except it has additional system modifiers that enhance its performance in a variety of epoxy-anhydride formulas. Hycat™ 3000 improves the solubility characteristics in difficult epoxy-anhydride formulas resulting in uniform cures.

Both the Hycat™ 2000 and Hycat™ 3000 are designed to have non-corrosive properties in their final composition. This attribute makes Hycat™ Catalysts useful in coatings, electronic circuit boards and other systems that require low-corrosion properties.

When using Hycat™ Catalysts in systems that have adequate stoechiometry, the cure or reaction time can be significantly altered by controlling the reaction temperature or the Hycat™ Catalyst concentration. Figure 1 shows the temperature effect in a simple epoxy-acid system.

Composition (weight ratio):

EMPOL 1016 Dimer Acid (Henkel): 61.6

ERL 4221 Epoxy Resin (Union Carbide): 28.4

Hycat™ 2000: 10.0

COOH/Epoxy Equivalent Ratio: 1.1/1.0

Hycat™ catalyst concentration has a dramatic effect on cure or reaction time, even at room temperature. The effect Hycat™ 2000 has on the reaction of a diepoxide with a dicarboxylic acid is shown in Figure 2. By changing the catalyst concentration from 12 % to about 1 %, the pot life was extended from one hour to 40 hours. This versatility can be advantageously used in production when pot life is a critical factor.

Composition (weight ratio):

EMPOL 1016 Dimer Acid (Henkel): 61.6

ERL 4221 Epoxy Resin (Union Carbide): 28.4

Hycat™ 2000: 1.0 to 12.3

Test Temperature, °C: 20 to 22

COOH/Epoxy Equivalent Ratio: (1.0 to 1.1)/1.0

Hycat™ Catalysts greatly enhance the reaction of epoxides with anhydrides. In a typical reaction the viscosity of the mix remains constant for a reasonable period of time before curing occurs. By adjusting reaction temperature or catalyst concentration, the overall curing process is significantly changed. A profile showing the viscosity increase as a function of time is shown below in Figure 3.

Total Mass: 500 grams

Temperature Profile: Start-21 °C; Peak-33 °C

Composition (weight ratio):

EPON 828 (Shell): 258

Methyltetrahydrophthalic

anhydride (Lonza): 232

Hycat™ 3000: 49

 

Hycat™ Catalysts are extremely versatile. Most epoxide reactions with carboxylic acids, anhydrides or imides are accelerated using a Hycat™ Catalyst. Also, because the degree of homopolymerization of the epoxide is low (in comparison to other catalysts such as tertiary amines), the mechanical properties or quality of the resulting cure or prepolymer is greatly improved. Typical cure systems that incorporate the use of Hycat™ Catalysts are listed below.

Hycat™ Performance With Dimeric and Trimeric Acids

^HYCAT™

^{ACID TO}

^INITIAL

^LOADING,

^EPOXIDE

^CURE

^{GEL TIME,}

^EPOXIDE

^ACID

^{Wt. %}

^{EQU., RATIO}

^{TEMP, C}

^HOURS

^{EPON 828}

^{EMPOL 1016}

¹

^1.05

²¹

³⁸

^{EPON 828}

^{EMPOL 1016}

³

^1.05

²¹

⁵

^{EPON 828}

^{EMPOL 1016}

¹

^1.05

⁵⁰

³

^{EPON 828}

^{EMPOL 1016}

³

^1.05

⁵⁰

^0.4

^{ERL 4221}

^{EMPOL 1016}

¹⁰

^1.10

²²

^1.2

^{ERL 4221}

^{EMPOL 1016}

¹⁰

^1.10

³⁰

^0.9

^{TRIMERIC ACIDS}

^{EPON 828}

^{EMPOL 1040}

³

^1.0

²⁵

^2.8

^{EPON 828}

^{EMPOL 1040}

³

^1.0

⁵⁰

^0.3

^{ERL 4221}

^{EMPOL 1056}

¹²

^1.0

²⁵

^0.3

^{EPON 828: Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (wt./epoxide, 185-192); Shell Chemical Company}

^{ERL 4221: Cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (equivalent wt., 131-143); Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Company, Inc.}

^{EMPOL 1016: C-18 to C-54 mixed dimeric acid (average FW-600, equivalent wt., 273), Henkel-Emery Group}

^{EMPOL 1040: Trimeric acid (equivalent wt., 290); Henkel-Emery Group}

^{EMPOL 1056: Polyfunctional carboxylic acid (equivalent wt., 290); Henkel-Emery Group}

^{Hycat™ Performance With Anhydrides}

^HYCAT™

^ANHYDRIDE

^INITIAL

^LOADING,

^{TO EPOXIDE}

^CURE

^{GEL TIME,}

^EPOXIDE

^ANHYDRIDE

^{Wt. %}

^{EQU., RATIO}

^{TEMP, C}

^HOURS

^{EPON 828}

^MTHPA

⁴

^0.9

²⁵

^11.7

^{EPON 828}

^MTHPA

¹⁰

^0.9

²⁵

^1.1

^{EPON 828}

^MTHPA

⁶

^0.9

⁵⁰

^0.4

^{DER 332}

^MTHPA

⁶

^0.9

²⁵

^10.1

^{DER 332}

^MTHPA

¹⁰

^0.9

²⁵

^2.8

^{DER 332}

^MTHPA

⁶

^0.9

⁵⁰

^1.1

^{EPON 828}

^NADIC-MA

¹²

^0.9

²⁵

^1.3

^{EPON 828}

^NADIC-MA

⁶

^0.9

⁵⁰

^0.5

^{EPON 828}

^HHPA

¹⁰

^0.9

²⁵

^1.0

^{EPON 828}

^HHPA

⁴

^0.9

⁵⁰

^1.4

^{EPON 828: Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (wt./epoxide, 185-192); Shell Chemical Company}

^{ERL 4221: Cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (equivalent wt., 131-143); Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Company, Inc.}

^{HHPA: Hexahydrophthalic anhydride; Lonza, Inc.}

^{MTHPA: Methylterahydrophthalic anhydride; Lonza, Inc.}

^{NADIC-MA: Nadic methyl anhydride; Buffalo Color Corporation}

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