Abstract: A systematic study was conducted on the curing behavior of hollow glass microsphere-filled epoxy resin systems through experiments and kinetic modeling. Initially, non-isothermal DSC experiments were performed to investigate the influence of heating rates on curing exothermic reactions. Results demonstrate that with increasing heating rates, the exothermic peak shifts to higher temperatures, accompanied by enhanced peak width and magnitude, elevated heat flow, and accelerated reaction rates. Fitting analyses using n-order reaction and autocatalytic kinetic models reveal superior agreement of experimental data with the autocatalytic model across various heating rates. Subsequently, isothermal DSC experiments at 50 ℃, 70 ℃, 75 ℃, and 90 ℃ were conducted to analyze curing processes under constant temperatures. The results indicate significant acceleration of reaction rates at elevated temperatures in hollow glass microsphere-filled epoxy systems, though complete conversion (100%) remained unattainable due to diffusion-controlled reaction stages. Comparatively, sluggish curing kinetics and lower conversion degrees were observed at lower temperatures. By integrating Kamal model fitting with isothermal data, a comprehensive kinetic equation for isothermal curing was established.

Key words: hollow glass microspheres, epoxy resin, cure, kinetics model