This article provides a detailed discussion on the principal classes and curatives of epoxy resins used in the coatings industry. The principal classes are bisphenol A epoxy, bisphenol F epoxy, epoxy phenol novolac, cycloaliphatic epoxies, epoxy acrylate, brominated bisphenol-A-based epoxy, phosphorus-containing epoxy, fluorinated epoxies, epoxy esters, epoxy phosphate esters, and waterborne epoxy. The principal curatives are amines, amine adducts, cyanoethylated amines, ketimines, polyoxyalkylene amines, cycloaliphatic amines, aromatic amines, polyamides, amido amines, and dicyandiamides. Other curatives include polyester co-polymers, phenolic co-polymers, melamine and urea formaldehyde co-polymer resins, phosphate flame retardants, ultraviolet and electron beam curing of epoxy resins, Mannich bases, Mannich-based adducts, and anhydrides. The article concludes by discussing the concerns regarding the use of epoxy coatings.

This article discusses the three basic elements of an epoxy resin formulation that must be understood when selecting a thermoset system. These include base resins, epoxy resin curatives, and modifiers. The article provides examples of epoxy resin formulations that illustrate how raw materials are combined to tailor a formulation to a specific application. It concludes with a discussion on general guidelines for the safe handling of epoxy resins and their associated products.

This article focuses on epoxy because this resin category has widespread use and because it is tested using quality control measures typical of most resin systems. It explains that a typical resin system will consist of one or more epoxy resins, a curing agent, and a catalyst to control the rate of reaction. The article describes the component material tests, mixed resin system tests, and prepreg tests for the resin system. These tests include high-performance liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The article contains a table that lists typical resin and prepreg property tests.