Using thermokinetic methods to enhance properties of epoxy resins with amino acids as biobased curing agents by achieving full crosslinking

         This paper discusses a sustainable curing approach of epoxy resin using amino acids (L-Arginine, L-Tryptophan, and L-Phenylalanine) as biobased curing agents and thermokinetic methods (Friedman, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, and Ozawa-Flynn-Wall) were used to achieve full crosslinking and minimize exothermic reactions that leads to material degradation. Traditionally, curing agents in epoxy resins are petrochemical-based and potentially toxic. In this study, epoxy resins cured with L-arginine showed a tensile strength over twice that seen in previous studies and 13.5% higher than traditional petrol-based curing agents. Additionally, it showed a long shelf life which is beneficial for industrial applications.