Dixie Chemical ECA 607 - Dixie Chemical

Knowde Enhanced TDS

Applications & Uses

Applications: ECA 607 is a low viscosity, non-crystallizing liquid anhydride epoxy curing agent blend. For convenience, it is pre-catalyzed with latent proprietary accelerators that impart high reactivity at process temperatures, while maintaining excellent pot life. It is designed to cure efficiently in processes such as pultrusion where residence time at curing temperature is limited. ECA 607 has the following characteristics:

Easy Handling: Low viscosity liquid gives low viscosity mixes with various epoxy resins

Convenience: Eliminates the need to add small amounts of catalyst

Consistency: Prevents potential batch-to-batch differences caused by errors in measuring and properly dispersing small amounts of catalyst

Low reactivity at room temperature: Provides long working times and pot lives for mixes with epoxy resins. Formulations of ECA 607 and liquid epoxies have a long pot life/working time in excess of 24 hours.

High reactivity at cure temperature: Gives excellent cure response at cure temperatures, resulting in high crosslinking and relatively high Tg.

Properties

Technical Details & Test Data

Formulation Example: ECA 607 was formulated with a variety of epoxy resins. Viscosity was measured at 25°C, and gel time was measured at 100°C. Samples were cured for 1 hour at 120°C, followed by a post-cure of 1 hour at 220°C, and glass transition temperatures were measured using a differential scanning calorimeter. The following table summarizes these results:

Epoxy type ECA 607, phr Viscosity at 25°C, cP Gel Time min Tg, (°C)

Standard BPA Liquid Epoxy 89 850 24 150

Low Viscosity BPA Liquid 92 700 23 145

Cycloaliphatic Epoxy 122 127 21 236

Epoxy Phenol Novolac 96 800 23 152

Epoxy BPA Novolac 87 2810 24 154

BPF Liquid Epoxy 96 457 21 137

Safety & Health

Health Hazards: These anhydrides are primary skin and eye irritants. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, and clothing. Use only with adequate ventilation. In case of contact, follow the procedures outlined in the SDS. Generally, these procedures include immediately flushing the affected skin or eyes with copious amounts of water for at least 15 minutes.

In the case of eye contact, get medical attention. Wash contaminated clothing before reuse. Follow the recommendations in the SDS for personal protective equipment when handling these materials. At a minimum, these procedures typically include protective chemical goggles, impenetrable gloves, and measures to avoid breathing chemical vapors.

Storage & Handling

Storage: ECA 607 will react with water to form diacids. This is normally undesirable, so ECA 607 should be stored in such a way that it is carefully protected from moisture contamination. For more details on the design of bulk storage for ECA 607, consult the Dixie Chemical Company brochure “Epoxy Curing Agent Storage Requirements.”