Aluminum chelate latent curing agent and production method thereof

1. An aluminum chelate latent curing agent in which an aluminum chelating agent and an arylsilane compound or a hydrolysate thereof are held in a polymer obtained by:

subjecting the aluminum chelating agent, the arylsilane compound, and a polyfunctional isocyanate compound to an emulsifying treatment, and then

subjecting the polyfunctional isocyanate to interfacial polymerization in the presence of a water-soluble epoxy compound,

wherein:

the aluminum chelating agent does not have an alkoxy group bonded to the aluminum, and

the arylsilane compound is represented by the formula (A),

(Ar)mSi(OR)n  (A)

where, in the formula (A),

m is 2 or 3,

the sum of m and n is 4,

Ar represents an optionally-substituted aryl group,

R represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, or an ethyl group, and

when n is 2, the two Rs may be the same or different.

2. The aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , whose an average particle size is 0.1 to 30 μm.

3. The aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , wherein the Ar is an optionally-substituted phenyl group.

4. The aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , wherein the arylsilane compound is any of triphenylsilanol and diphenylsilanediol.

5. The aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrolysate is a hydrolysate of any of triphenylmethoxysilane and triphenylethoxysilane.

6. The aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , wherein an amount of the aluminum chelating agent is 10 to 500 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the arylsilane compound.

7. The aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , wherein a total of the aluminum chelating agent and the arylsilane compound is 100 to 1,000 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polyfunctional isocyanate compound.

8. A method for producing the aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:

obtaining an oil phase by dissolving or dispersing an aluminum chelating agent that does not have an alkoxy group bonded to the aluminum, an arylsilane compound of the formula (A), and a polyfunctional isocyanate compound in an organic solvent;

obtaining an emulsion by charging and emulsifying the oil phase into an aqueous phase including a dispersant; and

heating the obtained emulsion to cause the polyfunctional isocyanate compound to undergo interfacial polymerization, whereby a polymer is obtained in which the aluminum chelating agent and the arylsilane compound or a hydrolysate thereof are held,

(Ar)mSi(OR)n  (A)

where, in the formula (A),

m is 2 or 3,

the sum of m and n is 4,

Ar represents an optionally-substituted aryl group,

R represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, or an ethyl group, and

when n is 2, the two Rs may be the same or different.

9. The production method according to claim 8 , wherein the aqueous phase further includes a water-soluble epoxy compound.

10. A thermosetting epoxy resin composition, comprising the aluminum chelate latent curing agent according to claim 1 , and an epoxy resin.

11. The thermosetting epoxy resin composition according to claim 10 , wherein the epoxy resin is a glycidyl ether epoxy resin.

12. The thermosetting epoxy resin composition according to claim 10 , further comprising an oxetane compound.