Morphological and mechanical study of nanostructured epoxy systems modified with amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide)triblock copolymer

• Published in: Polymer (Guilford) 2014-02, Vol.55 (3), p.738-745
• Main Authors: Cano, Laida, Builes, Daniel H., Tercjak, Agnieszka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Block copolymer; Chemical properties; Epoxy resin; Exact sciences and technology; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Properties and testing; Technology of polymers; Thermosets
• ISSN: 0032-3861; 1873-2291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2014.01.005

Thermosetting systems based on DGEBA epoxy resin and poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) (EPE) triblock copolymer were prepared and investigated. Different mixtures were obtained by using different contents of EPE block copolymer in order to study the influence of the modifier on the properties of the final materials. All thermosetting systems were prepared without using any solvent and were cured at ambient temperature, taking into account the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior of the block copolymer. DSC results indicated that the addition of block copolymer affected to the curing reaction time and to the glass transition temperature of the mixtures and also the miscibility of EPE triblock copolymer in the epoxy resin was proved. The morphologies studied by AFM and TEM showed clear nanostructuration up to 25 wt % EPE content. The addition of 5 and 15 wt % of EPE block copolymer led to a considerable improvement in the toughness of the materials. When EPE block copolymer was added to the epoxy resin, the surface became more hydrophilic and the UV–vis transmittance decreased slightly maintaining a high level of transparency. [Display omitted]