Epoxy resin has been around for more than a century, and it has come a long way since its invention in the 1930s. Originally used for dental accessories, epoxies were created by two scientists, Dr. Pierre Castan in Switzerland and Dr. Sylvan Greenlee in the United States.
The first epoxies were amber solids, but soon became widely available as adhesives. Nowadays, epoxy is a popular resin used all over the world for its strength as an adhesive that can easily outperform other common glues on the market. For those of you who are not familiar with this resin, I will shortly define some of its key characteristics. The chemical formula is outlined below. The word Epoxy can be traced back to two Greek prefixes “epi” and “oxy”.
Epi means “about”, while the prefix oxy means acute or acidic. Various chemical reactions of epoxy, resin and polyamine, hardener can produce epoxy resin. The wide range of uses of this strong adhesive includes carpentry work, flooring, electronic boards, DIY garage cladding and more. Its adhesive capacity has been tested and attested by millions of people over its more than 100 years of existence. So without further ado, let's dive into the depth of the story.
Epoxies have existed in the early 1890s, but were only popularized in the mid-1950s. A Russian chemist named Prileschajev was the first to observe that olefins would react with a peroxybenzoic acid. This reaction formed epoxides that are used to form epoxies together with polyamine. In the mid-1930s, a German named P. Shalack was granted a patent in which he prepared a high molecular weight polyamine by using epoxide compounds that contained an epoxide group greater than one. Pierre Castan, from Switzerland, and Dr.
Greenlee, from the United States, recognized the epoxy chemistry that people use today. Both also shared the merit of developing diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A. Pierre Castan allowed his work to be licensed by a company called Ciba in Switzerland. Greenlee, on the other hand, had an agreement with a US firm called Devoe-Reynolds.
This company was then sold to a company called Shell Chemicals, which changed its name to Momentive Specialty Chemicals. However, it was also found to be extremely useful in other niches. It took more than two decades for the epoxy resin to get the exposure it needed. Obviously, many had first questioned the product, which resulted in most of its commercial failures. The lack of knowledge also succeeded in doing the same. Today's epoxy has its own formulation today, but it was based on Prileschajev's work.
Thanks to the studies of Dr. Greenlee, epoxy has evolved even further and has become what it is now. The companies also played their part in the commercialization of epoxy. Although it may be difficult to explain what epoxy is during those times, they still pushed hard and successfully presented a new product that revolutionized the market. The use of Epoxy is still very important today and will continue to be used for years to come. Each person had their own role in the epoxy and its story.
Scientific minds and entrepreneurs have worked together to make Epoxy one of the best adhesives today. Epoxy resin has come a long way since its invention in 1930s; however there are advances in this field that keep epoxies compatible with other solutions. The three main innovations that have led to the evolution of the global epoxy resin market in recent years include Nan Ya Plastics' patent for epoxy resin varnish for laminates; Dow Global Technologies' process for preparing stable aqueous dispersions of epoxy resin using polyvinyl alcohol as primary dispersant; and He's patent for curing process that improves thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. These innovations offer low water absorption and excellent heat resistance of electrical laminates; even fire retardant requirements are met at low cost; low VOC content and low viscosity; stable lightweight and flexible properties; and better mechanical strength and heat resistance. One of the main impediments faced by epoxy resin suppliers is compliance with standards such as OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, REACH and VOC emission standards, as well as various transportation regulations. Epoxy resin has been developed over the course of the last century but it has shown that it still has the ability to remain among the best resins for commercial purposes. Scientific minds and entrepreneurs have worked together to make Epoxy one of the best adhesives today. Epoxy Flooring Technologies offers installation of a wide variety of seamless flooring solutions for any floor project where you need pricing - our specialists are trained to help you find the best option that fits your needs. With respect HADI ERFANI Thank you dear Hadi, happy that you liked it ???? Thank you for your invocation - I will take note of that ???? Pooyan is excellent - I'm waiting to read more articles about their innovations ???? I hope you're doing well with your work ???? Best regards Masoud Tayefi Nice work with general information about epoxy Very incredible &...
