Rapid capture of flow carbon dioxide by hard Epoxy thermosets with the high glass transition temperature

Epoxy thermoset polymer materials (P1, P2, and P3) using resorcinol diglycidyl ether (RE) with different primary amines having aliphatic and aromatic backbones were prepared without using any transition metal-based catalyst and solvent. The polymerization was carried out with comonomers in the presence of non-nucleophilic base 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and CO₂ gas through bulk copolymerization within 10-15 min at 100 °C yielding the cross-linked polymer. This cross-linking reaction can capture CO₂ while forming a thermoset. The ring-strain-induced reactivity of oxiranes and the proton-removing ability of the sterically hindered non-nucleophilic base have driven the copolymerization reactions. Considering the fast pace in which the reaction occurred and the material’s hardness, the method reported here has the potential for large-scale industrial application. The resultant epoxy thermosets showed high glass transition temperature (Tg) in the range of 67–106 °C and possessed hardness up to 24.26 HV in the Vickers microhardness scale.

Graphical abstract

Epoxy thermoset polymer materials are prepared from resorcinol diglycidyl ether (RE) reactions with different primary amines. These materials capture carbon dioxide rapidly during the cross-linking reactions yielding highly abrasive materials as determined by the Vickers microhardness tester.