Aging in Water and in an Alkaline Medium of Unsaturated Polyester and Epoxy Resins: Experimental Study and Modeling

Water Immersion Aging of Epoxy Resin and Fique Fabric Composites: Dynamic-Mechanical and Morphological Analysis

Fiber-reinforced composites are among the most investigated and industrially applied materials. Many studies on these composites using fibers, especially with natural fibers, were made in response to an urgent action for ambient preservation. A particularly relevant situation exists nowadays in the area of materials durability. In this respect, no studies on water-immersion-accelerated aging in fique fiber–epoxy composites are reported. This work aimed to fill this gap by investigating the epoxy matrix composites reinforced with 40 vol% fique fabric. The epoxy matrix and the composite, both unaged and aged, were characterized by weight variation, water absorption, morphology, colorimetry (CIELAB method), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and dynamic–mechanical analysis (DMA). The main results were that degradation by water presents appearance of complex microfibril structures, plasticization of epoxy resin, and debonding of the fique fiber/epoxy matrix. The most intense color change was obtained for the water-immersion-aged epoxy by 1440 h. Cole–Cole diagrams revealed the heterogeneity of the materials studied.

Structural Properties of Epoxy–Silica Barrier Coatings for Corrosion Protection of Reinforcing Steel

Reinforcement steel extensively applied in civil construction is susceptible to corrosion due to the carbonation process in reinforced concrete and chloride ions diffusion. Epoxy-silica-based coatings are a promising option to guarantee the long-term stability of reinforced concrete structures. In this study, the influence of the proportion between the poly (bisphenol-A-co-epichlorhydrin) resin (DGEBA) and the curing agent diethylenetriamine (DETA) on the structural, morphological, and barrier properties of epoxy–silica nanocomposites were evaluated. To simulate different stages of concrete aging, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) assays were performed for coated samples in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution (pH 7) and in simulated concrete pore solutions (SCPS), which represent the hydration environment in fresh concrete (SCPS1, pH 8) and after carbonation (SCPS2, pH 14). The results showed that coatings with an intermediate DETA to DGEBA ratio of 0.4, presented the best long-term corrosion protection with a low-frequency impedance modulus of up to 3.8 GΩ cm2 in NaCl and SCPS1 solutions. Small-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that the best performance observed for the intermediate DETA proportion is associated with the presence of larger silica nanodomains, which act as a filler in the cross-linked epoxy matrix, thus favoring the formation of an efficient diffusion barrier.