Innovation towards the substitution of Bisphenol A in epoxy resins

Finding suitable alternatives to the use of diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol-A (DGEBA) in epoxy-based materials is among major topics for several years. Its controversial aspect due to the endocrine nature of its precursor, the Bisphenol-A, combined with the growing demand for sustainable and biobased materials are forcing industrials to bring new solutions to the market. However, although many innovative epoxies were developed so far, obtaining specifications similar to those of DGEBA-based resins, such as thermo-mechanical properties, viscosity and thermal and chemical stability remain crucial challenges to overcome.

The latest developments carried out by SPECIFIC POLYMERS during VIBES project have made it possible to formulate a resin without DGEBA with very similar viscosity and Tg values ​​but with accelerated reactivities. The next actions will consist in a complete characterisation of the thermo-mechanical properties of the associated materials.