Polymer-amine based thermally latent catalysts for composites

This project focuses on the development of polymer-amine based thermally latent catalysts and the use of these catalysts in one-component epoxy resins and prepregs to produce composite materials. The project consists of three sections. In the first section, the polymers that will impart latency to the amine catalysts will be synthesized and characterized. The polymers will then be mixed or reacted with different amines to obtain the polymer-amine based thermally latent catalysts. In the second section, the effects of these catalyst systems on the shelf-life and curing behavior of one-component epoxy resins and the prepregs containing the epoxy resins, thermally latent catalysts, and carbon fibers will be investigated. In the last section, composite materials will be prepared from these prepregs and the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites will be examined.