Abstract
The toughening of epoxy resins is a relatively recent trend in composite technology. The use of rigid carbonaceous fillers or plasticizing additives is well established in the literature, but their combined use and their effect on thermal or mechanical properties of composites is hardly studied. The aim of this work is to investigate the combination of neat and silane-treated carbonaceous fillers (graphene oxide (GO) or graphite nanoplatelets (GNP)) with poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (EPE) triblock copolymers. The viscosity and curing behavior of the resin, as well as the dynamic mechanical and mechanical properties of the composites, were evaluated. Addition of EPE and GO slightly increased viscosity of the epoxy resin, and EPE acted as coupling and exfoliating agent of GO and GNP. EPE/GO-modified epoxy showed the lowest storage modulus and cross-link density, displaying in turn a more pronounced effect on impact strength and fracture toughness without sacrificing tensile and thermal properties. Treatment with APTES did not cause a significant effect on the composite properties.
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