Pyrolysis-capillary gas chromatography of fibre-epoxy composites

• Published in: Journal of analytical and applied pyrolysis 1986-08, Vol.10 (1), p.13-30
• Main Authors: Noël, D., Cole, K.C., Hechler, J.-J., Chouliotis, A., Overbury, K.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis and structure; Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Properties and testing; Technology of polymers
• ISSN: 0165-2370; 1873-250X
• DOI: 10.1016/0165-2370(86)85016-1

A pulse-mode pyrolysis technique has been coupled with capillary gas chromatography to characterize epoxy-based composites. The pyrolysis has been optimized with respect to the pyrolysis temperature and the sample mass in order to obtain reproducible quantitative results. Pyrolysis at 650° C for 10 s using a sample mass of less than 1 mg has been found to give a sufficient quantity of pyrolyzed material without producing too complex a mixture of pyrolysis products. Pyrolysis-capillary gas chromatography (Py-GC) has been used to determine the amount of hardener in an epoxy resin system by ratioing the aniline peak area against the phenol peak area. It has also been used to characterize different prepregs, and to evaluate the curing of an epoxy resin. Some pyrolysis products have been identified by coupling Py-GC with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In this case, the use of an OV-101 capillary column with a film thickness of 5 μm allows the injection of a larger amount of pyrolyzed resin, thus improving the detection without loss of resolution.