Variation in radical decay rates in epoxy as a function of crosslink density

A study was made of the behavior of radicals generated by Co-60 gamma radiation in the epoxy system tetraglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenyl methane (TGDDM) cured with 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). The molar ratio of TGDDM to DDS was varied in the epoxy samples, and they were prepared under the same curing conditions to obtain various extents of crosslinking. ESR spectrometry data suggest that the rate of decay of radicals is related to inhomogeneities in the resin, with radicals in the highly crosslinked regions having long decay times. The inhomogeneities are thought to be due to statistical variation associated with the complex crosslinking reactions or to difficulties in mixing the reactants.