Original Article
  • Low-temperature Fast-curing Cationic Latent Curing Agent for One-component Epoxy Adhesives for Electronic Materials

  • So Hyun An*,****,#, Han Gyeol Jang*,#, Young Hoon Joung*, Seung Jun Kim***, Myung Woong Kim***, Felix Sunjoo Kim****†, Jaewoo Kim*,**†

  • * Institute of Advanced Composite Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk 55324, Republic of Korea
    ** Convergence Research Center for Solutions to Electromagnetic Interference in Future-Mobility, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
    *** Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
    **** Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea

  • 전자 재료용 일액형 에폭시 접착제를 위한 저온 속경화 잠재성 양이온 경화제

  • 안소현*,****,# · 장한결*,# · 정영훈* · 김승준*** · 김명웅*** · 김선주****† · 김재우*,**†

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Epoxy is a thermosetting polymer with excellent properties such as heat and chemical resistance, making them essential in various industrial fields including electronics. The performance of epoxy is highly dependent on the type of curing agent used. Among them, sulfonium-based latent curing agents are notable for their fast curing speed, high curing hardness, and specificity to certain temperatures, making them attractive for manufacturing anisotropic conductive films in electronic materials where single-component epoxy is required. However, sulfonium-based latent curing agents face challenges in industrial application due to issues with low yield and purity. This study optimized the synthesis conditions for benzyl and naphthyl-type sulfonium curing agents (B-Sul+SbF6-, N-Sul+NCyF-, N-Sul+NFSI-). By adjusting reaction time, reaction temperature, and reactant ratios, yield was maximized, significantly reducing both reaction time and temperature. The three optimized curing agents were evaluated for their thermal and mechanical properties to assess curing behavior and storage stability. The results confirmed that stable curing performance was maintained even after mixing. This study aims to expand the industrial applicability of sulfonium curing agents.


에폭시는 내열성과 내화학성 등의 우수한 특성으로 전자 재료 등 다양한 산업 분야에서 필수적으로 사용되는 열경화성 고분자이다. 에폭시의 성능은 사용된 경화제의 종류에 크게 의존하며, 그 중에서도 sulfonium 기반 잠재성 경화제는 빠른 경화 속도와 높은 경화도, 특정 온도에서만 반응하는 특성으로 인해 일액형 에폭시의 특성이 요구되는 전자 재료 분야의 이방성 전도 필름 제조에 주목받고 있다. 그러나 Sulfonium 기반 잠재성 경화제는 낮은 수율 및 순도 문제로 산업 분야에서 실제 상용화에 어려움이 있다. 본 연구에서는 benzyl 및 naphthyl 유형의 sulfonium 경화제(B-Sul+SbF6-, N-Sul+NCyF-, N-Sul+NFSI-)의 합성 반응 조건이 최적화되었다. 반응 시간, 온도 및 반응물의 비율을 조절하여 수율을 극대화하였고, 이 과정에서 반응 시간 및 온도를 획기적으로 낮추었다. 수율 및 순도가 최적화된 세 가지 경화제는 열적 및 기계적 특성을 평가하여 경화 거동 및 보관 안정성을 검토하였다. 그 결과, 혼합 후에도 안정적인 경화 성능을 유지함을 확인하였다. 본 연구를 통해 sulfonium 경화제의 산업적 활용 가능성이 확장되기를 기대한다.


Keywords: 일액형 에폭시(Single-component epoxy), 잠재성 경화제(Latent curing agent), 설포늄(Sulfonium), 반응조건 최적화(Reaction conditions optimization)

This Article

Correspondence to

  • Felix Sunjoo Kim****, Jaewoo Kim*,**

  • * Institute of Advanced Composite Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk 55324, Republic of Korea
    ** Convergence Research Center for Solutions to Electromagnetic Interference in Future-Mobility, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
    **** Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea

  • E-mail: fskim@cau.ac.kr, jaewoo96@kist.re.kr