Microwave Modification of an Epoxy Basalt-Filled Oligomer to Improve the Functional Properties of a Composite Based on It

The purpose of this work is to study the influence of the electric field strength of an electromagnetic wave with the maximum modifying effect on an epoxy basalt-filled oligomer, which is of great scientific and practical importance for the development of microwave oligomer modification technology. The optimal modes of microwave modification, under which the highest values of the mechanical properties of an epoxy basalt-filled polymer composite material are obtained, are identified: power of 400 W and an exposure time of 24 s. At the same time, the breaking stress in bending increases by 20%, the impact strength increases by 2 times, and hardness increases by 31%. A slight increase of 4.5% in heat resistance is noted compared to the composite obtained on the basis of an oligomer unmodified in the microwave electromagnetic field. The results of resistance to various aggressive environments are obtained, which show that the studied physical and mechanical characteristics of the epoxy basalt-filled material after exposure to an aggressive environment decrease by less than 14%, which corresponds to their good resistance to an aggressive environment. It is established that the effect of the microwave electromagnetic field on an epoxy basalt-filled oligomer is an effective modification method that improves physical and mechanical characteristics with a high level of temporal stability to climatic influences, with a coefficient of property retention of more than 90%.