Electrical Tree Characteristics of Bisphenol A Epoxy Resin/Maleopimaric Anhydride Curing System

Abstract

Epoxy resin insulation materials are mainly derived from petrochemical materials which have the disadvantages of resource consumption and environmental pollution. In order to cure bisphenol A epoxy resin, a maleopimaric anhydride (MPA) curing agent was prepared from rosin, a renewable resource, and blended with a petroleum-based curing agent (methylhexahy-drophthalic anhydride). The influence of maleopimaric anhydride content on the initiation and growth characteristics of electrical trees was studied and analyzed in this paper using molecular dynamics simulation (MD) and electrical tree tests at an 18-kilovolt power frequency voltage. When the MPA content used was ≤ 10%, the free volume percentage of the curing system increased with MPA content, and thus the initiation voltage became lower; when the MPA content was ≥ 20%, the hydrogenated phenanthrene ring structure content increased significantly with increasing MPA content, and the rigidity of the curing system increased significantly; thus, the initiation voltage gradually increased. MPA4 had an 11.11% higher initiation voltage than the petroleum-based control group. The effect of the polar rigid structure within the curing system significantly inhibited the growth rate and length of electrical trees as MPA content increased. Electrical trees developed into light-colored, thin, and narrow dendritic structures when the MPA content reached 40%. The results show that curing epoxy resin with the rosin-based curing agent maleopimaric anhydride (MPA), in place of a petroleum-based curing agent, can produce environmentally friendly resins with excellent electrical tree resistance and potential application prospects.

Curing Regime-Modulating Insulation Performance of Anhydride-Cured Epoxy Resin: A Review

“…The reaction temperature between anhydride curing agent and epoxy resin is high. Compared with amine curing agent, its shrinkage effect during curing is weak, and the heat resistance and insulation performance of the product are more excellent, so it is widely used in the field of electrical insulation [ 35 ].…”

Study on Blending Modification of Bisphenol A Epoxy

“…The experimental materials used in this experiment included E-51 bisphenol A epoxy resin, aliphatic epoxy modified bisphenol A epoxy resin (2021P/E-51), toughened dimeric acid modified bisphenol A epoxy resin (EPD-172/E-51), curing agent methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA), model DMP-30 epoxy curing accelerator, etc. [12,13]. Some properties of materials used in the experiment are shown in Table 1.…”

Sustainably Sourced Tannic Acid Enables Fast-Curing High-Strength Epoxy Adhesives with Increased Toughness

“…Besides, most epoxy resins and curing agents are derived from the petroleum industry. , Therefore, the use of bio-based raw materials fully or partially substituting petroleum products for developing sustainable materials is conducive to reduce carbon emissions, decrease dependence on petroleum, and achieve sustainable development . Vegetable oil and its derivatives [e.g., cardanol, lignin, and tannic acid (TA)] are widely used to develop sustainable bio-based materials, such as adhesives, coatings, wearable hydrogels, and flame retardants. − Interestingly, TA is a water-soluble, high-molecular-weight polyphenolic compound that is extracted from plenty of plants, such as bush, tea, and legume grass.…”