What is Epoxy Resin?

What is Epoxy Resin?
Epoxy resin (polyepoxides) is a certain type of organic compound containing epoxide groups. It’s made up of carbon chains that are linked to other elements like nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. The link happens through a covalent bond.
This allows elements sharing 2 electrons to bond together. As a result, the polymers become elastic and tough. This makes them ideal for various applications.
In simpler terms, polyepoxide is a thermoset resulting from a reaction of 2 or more compounds. This reaction radiates heat and converts the material from a liquid to a cured/ solid form. Note, the chemical reaction can last for many hours.

How Epoxy Resin Works？
Epoxy is a the rmoset or the rmosetting resin. This means that it’s a polymer that sets or cures depending on the surrounding heat/ temperature. When it hardens, the process is irreversible! That’s because the curing process introduces a polymer chain linked by covalent bonds.
Being an epoxide, epoxy is more reactive to other chemical compounds. One thing you need to note though is that the compound contains unreacted epoxide. In other words, pure epoxy is extremely stable at room temperature.
At the same time, it’s very vulnerable to reactions with other chemical compounds. In this case, the other chemical compound is the curing or hardening agent!
To trigger a chemical reaction, you need to mix the resin with the hardener. The cured epoxy will either be honey-like or more viscous depending on the reaction type. The actual molecular weight of cured compound will determine its application.

Advantages of Epoxy Resin：

1. Withstands Various Elements
2. Highly Versatile
3. Low Shrinkage
4. Strong Mechanical Properties
5. Attractive Appearance

For which applications can Epoxy Resin be used?
1. Art and Crafts
2. Woodworking
3. Bind, strengthen, and reinforce wood joints
4. Electronics
5. Adhesive