Cycloaliphatic Epoxy Resins
(Hydrogenated Bisphenol A Epoxy Resin)

Properties and Applications

Cycloaliphatic epoxy resins are an attractive alternative to standard bisphenol epoxies (DGEBA & DGEBF) because they have superior resistance to moisture and UV, better color and gloss stability (no yellowing), excellent electrical properties, and a higher heat deflection temperature. Many of these resins have a viscosity low enough to serve as reactive diluents.

One of the highest-volume cycloaliphatic epoxies is hydrogenated bisphenol A epoxy. This type of resin exhibits a lower resin viscosity and a lower glass transition temperature than DGEBA having the same number of repeat units.¹ It also has slightly higher moduli, higher impact resistance, improved dimensional stability at elevated temperature and higher thermal stability with an initial degradation temperature of >305 °C.²

Like standard epoxies, cycloaliphatic epoxies can be cured or set with a wide range of co-reactants including polyfunctional amines, acid anhydrides, phenols, alcohols and thiols. The co-reactants are often called hardener or curative, and the crosslinking reaction is commonly referred to as curing.

Cycloaliphatic epoxy resins are used in many industries. Important applications include exterior coatings and adhesives, potting compounds and encapsulations for electronics and electrical components, gel coats, laminates, fiber composites, and various cationic and UV curable resin products. They also find use as reactive diluents and modifiers in alkyd, polyester, and other epoxy products to increase the filler loading and/or to improve their color stability and weatherability.

Manufacturers & Distributors

¹The viscosity of hydrogenated DGEBA is comparable to that of DGEBF
²Wei, J., Ma, S., Yue, H. et al., Macromol. Res., 26, 529 (2018)