Synergistically effects of copolymer and core-shell particles for toughening epoxy

Synergistic Effects of Liquid Rubber and Thermoplastic Particles for Toughening Epoxy Resin

This study aims to investigate the toughening effects of rubber and thermoplastic particles on epoxy resin (EP), and to understand the mechanism underlying their synergistic effect. For this purpose, three EP systems were prepared using diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resin (E-54) and 4,4-Diamino diphenyl methane (Ag-80) as matrix resin, 4,4-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) as a curing agent, and phenolphthalein poly (aryl ether ketone) particles (PEK-C) and carboxyl-terminated butyl liquid rubber (CTBN) as toughening agents. These systems are classified as an EP/PEK-C toughening system, EP/CTBN toughening system, and EP/PEK-C/CTBN synergistic toughening system. The curing behavior, thermal properties, mechanical properties, and phase structure of the synergistic-toughened EP systems were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that PEK-C did not react with EP, while CTBN reacted with EP to form a flexible block polymer. The impact toughness of EP toughened by PEK-C/CTBN was improved obviously without significantly increasing viscosity or decreasing thermal stability, flexural strength, and modulus, and the synergistic toughening effect was significantly higher than that of the single toughening system. The notable improvement in toughness is believed to be due to the synergistic energy dissipation effect of PEK-C/CTBN.

Numerical Simulation and Comparison of the Mechanical Behavior of Toughened Epoxy Resin by Different Nanoparticles

Adding nanoparticles as the second phase to epoxy can achieve a good toughening effect. The aim of this paper is to simulate the toughening behavior of epoxy resin by different nanoparticles using a convenient and effective finite element method. The mechanical behaviors of epoxy resins toughened by nano core-shell polymers, liquid rubber, and nanosilica were compared by numerical simulations using the representative volume element (RVE). It is indicated that the addition of a nano core-shell polymer and liquid rubber can reduce the tensile properties of epoxy resin, while nanosilica is on the contrary. With the increase of nanoparticle content, the length of crack propagation decreases, and the toughening effect of the nano core-shell polymer is the best. The failure mode is determined by the particle/matrix interface when the modulus of the nanoparticle is much larger than that of epoxy resin. However, it is determined by the interface properties of the particle/matrix and the modulus of nanoparticles in other cases. The results provide a theoretical basis for toughening nanoparticle selection of nanoparticle-toughened epoxy resin and other similar simulations in the future.

Enhancement of Mechanical Properties and Bonding Properties of Flake-Zinc-Powder-Modified Epoxy Resin Composites

As a typical brittle material, epoxy resin cannot meet its application requirements in specific fields by only considering a single toughening method. In this paper, the effects of carboxyl-terminated polybutylene adipate (CTPBA) and zinc powder on the mechanical properties, adhesion properties, thermodynamic properties and medium resistance of epoxy resin were studied. A silane coupling agent (KH-550) was used to modify zinc powder. It was found that KH-550 could significantly improve the mechanical properties and bonding properties of epoxy resin, and the modification effect of flake zinc powder (f-Zn) was significantly better than that of spherical zinc powder (s-Zn). When the addition amount of f-Zn was 5 phr, the tensile shear strength and peel strength of the composites reached a maximum value of 13.16 MPa and 0.124 kN/m, respectively, which were 15.95% and 55% higher than those without filler. The tensile strength and impact strength reached a maximum value of 43.09 MPa and 7.09 kJ/m², respectively, which were 40.54% and 91.11% higher than those without filler. This study provides scientific support for the preparation of f-Zn-modified epoxy resin.

Effect of dispersibility of graphene nanoplatelets on the properties of natural rubber latex composites using sodium dodecyl sulfate

Natural rubber latex/graphene nanoplatelet (NRL/GNP) composites containing GNP-pristine and GNP–SDS were prepared by a simple mechanical mixing method. The main objective was to study the effect of dispersibility of GNP on the properties in NRL. X-ray diffraction confirmed the adsorption of sodium sulfate dodecyl (SDS) on the GNP surface. The results showed that high filler loading diminished the physical and mechanical properties of the composites but successfully endured to satisfy electrical conductivity to the NRL/GNP composites. Besides, the SDS surfactant-filled system demonstrated better physical, tensile, electrical, and thermal stability properties than the GNP-pristine. The intercalated and dispersed GNP–SDS increased the number of routes for stress and heat transfer to occur and facilitated the formation of conductive pathways as well, leading to the improvement of the properties as compared to NRL/GNP-pristine composites. However, as the GNP–SDS loading exceeded 5 phr, the GNP–SDS localized in the interstitial layer of NRL, restricted the formation of crosslinking, and interfered with the strain-induced crystallization ability of the composites.

Preparation of environment-friendly solid epoxy resin with high-toughness via one-step banburying

Solid epoxy resin is highly desired in adhesives, electronic materials and coatings due to the attractive characteristics of solvent-free, highly efficient utilization and convenient storage and transportation. However, the challenges remain in fabricating high-toughness solid epoxy resin through a facile and efficient way. Here, a high-performance environment-friendly solid epoxy resin was fabricated by employing maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA-g-MAH) as the flexibilizer via one-step banburying method. The results showed that the modified epoxy resin maintained a high glass transition temperature (T_g) and thermal stability, while its impact strength, tensile toughness and flexural toughness were significantly increased compared with the neat epoxy resin. The impact strength, tensile toughness and flexural toughness of R-EM10 are improved 138%, 195% and 149%, respectively. The EVA-g-MAH was introduced in the epoxy matrix as a separate phase to increase toughness via transfer stress and dissipated energy. The attractive properties of this facile fabrication process and the high-toughness, as well as the environment-friendly performance make this solid epoxy highly promising for large-scale industrial application.

High-toughness and environment-friendly solvent free solid epoxy resin through a low-cost, facile and large-scale fabrication process.

A systematic study on the synergistic effects of MWCNTs and core-shell particles on the physicomechanical properties of epoxy resin

Here, core-shell impact modifier particles (CSIMPs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNs) were used as reinforcing agents for improving the toughness and tensile properties of epoxy resin. For this purpose, emulsion polymerization technique was exploited to fabricate poly(butyl acrylate-allyl methacrylate) core-poly(methyl methacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate) shell impact modifier particles with an average particle size of 407 nm. It was revealed that using a combination of the prepared CSIMPs and MWCNTs could significantly enhance the toughness and tensile properties of the epoxy resin. Also, it was observed that the dominant factors for improving the fracture toughness of the ternary composites are crack deflection/arresting as well as enlarged plastic deformation around the growing crack tip induced by the combination of rigid and soft particles. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) was utilized to study the effects of the amounts of CSIMPs and MWCNTs on the physicomechanical properties of the epoxy resin. The proposed quadratic models were in accordance with the experimental results with correlation coefficient more than 98%. The optimum condition for maximum toughness, elastic modulus, and tensile strength was 3 wt% MWCNT and 1.03 wt% CSIMPs. The sample fabricated in the optimal condition indicated toughness, elastic modulus, and tensile strength equal to 2.2 MPa m1/2, 3014.5 MPa, and 40.6 MPa, respectively.

Synergy between Phenoxy and CSR Tougheners on the Fracture Toughness of Highly Cross-Linked Epoxy-Based Composites

A remarkable synergistic increase in fracture toughness by 130% is demonstrated for a CFRP high performance epoxy composite when adding an equal weight combination of phenoxy thermoplastic and core-shell rubber (CSR) toughening agents, as compared to a single toughener at a comparable total concentration of around 10 wt%. The dual-toughened matrix exhibits an unusual morphological arrangement of the two toughener agents. The interlaminar shear strength of the composites is also synergistically improved by about 75% as compared to the reference while the compression modulus reduction and viscosity increase are significantly smaller than for the single phenoxy toughened system. A partial filtering of the CSR particles by the dense CF fabric during pre-pregging leads to a less than optimum CSR dispersion in the composites, showing that the synergy can be further optimized, possibly to the same level as the unreinforced systems.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Core-Shell Copolymer with Different Glass Transition Temperatures

The aim of this study is to synthesize an organic core-shell co-polymer with a different glass transition temperature (Tg) between the core and the shell that can be used for several applications such as the selective debonding of coatings or the release of encapsulated materials. The co-polymer was synthesized using free radical polymerization and was characterized with respect to its morphology, composition and thermal behavior. The obtained results confirmed the successful synthesis of the co-polymer copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate)@poly(methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate), PMMA@P(MAA-co-EGDMA), which can be used along with water-based solvents. Furthermore, the Tg of the polymer’s core PMMA was 104 °C, while the Tg of the shell P(MAA-co-EGDMA) was 228 °C, making it appropriate for a wide variety of applications. It is worth mentioning that by following this specific experimental procedure, methacrylic acid was copolymerized in water, as the shell of the copolymer, without forming a gel-like structure (hydrogel), as happens when a monomer is polymerized in aqueous media, such as in the case of super-absorbent polymers. Moreover, the addition and subsequent polymerization of the monomer methyl methacrylate (MAA) into the mixture of the already polymerized PMMA resulted in a material that was uniform in size, without any agglomerations or sediments.

Improving the toughness of thermosetting epoxy resins via blending triblock copolymers

In this study, the triblock copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(butyl acrylate)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (MAM) was used to modify bisphenol A epoxy resin to improve its toughness. The effects of MAM on the curing behaviors, mechanical properties, fracture morphology and thermal properties of epoxy were carefully studied. The results of dissolution experiments show that MAM has good compatibility with epoxy resin under certain conditions. FT-IR and DSC analyses show that adding MAM to epoxy hinders the curing reaction of epoxy resin, without participating in the curing reaction and changing the curing mechanism. The mechanical properties indicated by K_IC and impact strength with an MAM content of 10 phr for the toughened system increase by 91.5% and 83.5%, respectively, compared to the situation without MAM, which may ascribed to the nanoparticles formed during the process of MAM/epoxy blending. In the curing process of an epoxy resin, the typical phase structure that occurs through the self-assembly process can be clearly observed in the MAM/epoxy blends. As the MAM content increases, the amount of nanoparticles gradually increases. This work further confirms that the toughness of the composite material was enhanced to a large extent without significantly decreasing the glass transition temperature of the blends.

In this study, the triblock copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(butyl acrylate)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (MAM) was used to modify bisphenol A epoxy resin to improve its toughness.

Effect of Silane Treatment on Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane/Mesoscopic Fly Ash Composites

In view of the accidents such as rock mass breakage, roof fall and coal slide in coal mines, polyurethane/mesoscopic fly ash (PU/MFA) reinforcement materials were produced from polymethylene polyphenylene isocyanate (PAPI), the polyether polyol, flame retardant, and MFA using stannous octanate as a catalyst. 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) was grafted on MFA surface, aiming to improve the mechanical properties of PU/MFA composites. The analyses of infrared spectroscopy and compression resistance reveal that the GPTMS can be successfully attached to the surface of MFA, and the optimum modification dosage of GPTMS to MFA is 2.5 wt. % (weight percent). On this basis, the effect of GPTMS on the mechanical properties of PU/MFA reinforcement materials during the curing process was systematically investigated through a compression test, a fracture toughness test, a three-point bending test, a bond property test, and a dynamic mechanics analysis. The results show that the compression property, fracture toughness, maximum flexural strength, and bond strength of PU/MFA composites increase by 21.6%, 10.1%, 8.8%, and 19.3%, respectively, compared with the values before the modification. Furthermore, the analyses of scanning electron microscope and dynamic mechanics suggest that the coupling agent GPTMS can successfully improve the mechanical properties of PU/MFA composites because it eliminates the stress concentration and exerts a positive effect on the crosslink density and hardness of PU/MFA composites.

Enhanced toughness and thermal conductivity for epoxy resin with a core-shell structured polyacrylic modifier and modified boron nitride

A new epoxy-based composite with higher toughness and thermal conductivity was developed. First, a poly(n-butyl acrylate)/poly(methyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PBMG) core-shell structured latex was prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization to toughen the epoxy resin (EP). Second, boron nitride particles were modified into nano-scale sheets and added to the epoxy/PBMG blend to improve the thermal conductivity of the resulting composite material. The properties of the constituent materials were determined prior to fabrication and testing of the composite product. The monomer conversion in the emulsion polymerization process of the PBMG was checked by determining the solid particle content. The PBMG particle size was characterized by dynamic laser scattering, and the morphology of the particles was characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The exfoliation of the modified boron nitride (MBN) flakes was verified by TEM and Raman microscopy. The mechanical properties and the thermal conductivity of the EP/PBMG/MBN composite were determined at various constituent contents. Results showed that the unnotched impact strength of the composite increased by 147%, the flexural strength increased by 49.1%, and the thermal conductivity increased by 98% compared with pristine EP at a PBMG content of 5 wt% and MBN content of 7 wt%. With the enhanced properties and ease of fabrication, the developed composite has good potential for application in high-end industries such as microelectronics packaging.

Preparation and Properties of Toluene-Diisocyanate-Trimer-Modified Epoxy Resin

In this paper, a novel modified epoxy resin with an interpenetrating network structure for use as a grouting material with high toughness was prepared by a method of graft copolymerization between polyurethane prepolymer (PUP) trimer and epoxy resin (E-44). Polyurethane prepolymer was synthesized using poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) and 2,4-toluene diisocyanate trimer (TDIT) at 70 °C for 3 h. The graft copolymer was prepared by grafting polyurethane prepolymer onto the side chain of epoxy resin at 110 °C. The mechanical properties, fracture surface morphology, chemical structure, thermal properties, and corrosion resistance of the modified epoxy resin curing products were studied. Due to the beneficial flexible segments and the interpenetrating network structure, the results show that when the ratio of epoxy resin to polyurethane prepolymer is 10:2, the optimum mechanical properties are obtained; these include a compressive resistance of 184.8 MPa, impact property of 76.6 kJ/m², and elongation at break of 31.5%. At the same time, the modified epoxy resin curing product also has excellent heat and corrosion resistance. This work provides a new method for the study of epoxy resins with high performance.

Improved fracture toughness of carbon fiber fabric/epoxy composite laminates using polyether sulfone fibers

This study demonstrated that the addition of dissolvable polyether sulfone fibers to the interlaminar area of carbon fiber/epoxy composites can effectively increase the toughness with very high accuracy. Resin film infusion (RFI) is used to fabricate composite structures. RFI was applied to obtain polyether sulfone as an interleaf of chopped fibers between fabric piles of carbon fibers. The thermoplastic polyether sulfone fiber dissolved in the epoxy when it was cured at a high temperature. A phase-separated morphology with a polyether sulfone-rich secondary phase was formed during the curing process. Experimental results indicated that G Ic, which is the average value of Mode-I fracture toughness, was increased fivefold with the addition of 10 wt% polyether sulfone fiber (with respect to the gross content of the matrix). No detrimental effects were observed in other characteristics such as thermal stability, Young’s modulus, and tensile strength. In addition, the thermal and mechanical characteristics of neat epoxy–polyether sulfone blends were analyzed for comparison.