Thermal stability OF elium® resin and its composites

Abstract

This paper deals with the thermal ageing of ELIUM® based composites filled with mineral fillers (aluminium trihydrate in particular) and corresponding matrices. The ageing of thin films and thick blocks was investigated by gravimetry. The comparison of matrices with an incremental complexity highlighted the effect of comonomers and thermal stabilizers. In all cases, unzipping was shown to be the predominant source of mass loss but oxidation seems also to be involved in the case of ageing under air. The existence of this latter was confirmed by the existence of a brown surface layer. This oxidized layer was shown to be deeper for filled composites than unfilled matrices, suggesting that fillers favor the oxygen diffusion into the bulk.