Physical principles of catalysis of the curing of epoxy polymers in the presence of carbon nanotubes

Abstract

A structural interpretation of the catalytic action of carbon nanotubes on the curing of epoxy polymers is proposed. It is based on the fractal analysis ideas. It is shown that essentially the only factor determining the kinetics of the curing process is the microgel structure characterized by its fractal dimension. The most important conclusion from the obtained results is the fact that the reaction rate dependences on the structural parameters are described by the same correlation for the epoxy polymer curing reaction both in the presence and absence of carbon nanotubes. This means that the catalytic effect of carbon nanotubes consists in a change in the structure of microgels.