Toughening Study of Epoxy Resin by the Copolymer of the α-Methacrylate Monomer Of Poly(Ether-sulfone) withn-Butyl Acrylate

Abstract

Abstract A novel copolymer of the α-methacrylate macromonomer of poly(ether-sulfone) with n-butyl acrylate (PES-n-MA-co-BA) was synthesized for evaluation as a toughening agent in epoxy resins, and characterized by IR, HPLC, and UV. The effects of the copolymer (PES-n-MA-co-BA) and of blends (PES + PBA) upon the toughening of epoxy resins was investigated by tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy. The optimum content of the functional monomer in the copolymer with nBA, which has a maximum improvement of fracture toughness without any significant loss of modulus, was obtained. Studies on the morphology of the modified epoxy resin system with SEM showed that phase separation was observed during curing of both DGEBA/PES-MA-co-nBA and DGEBA/PnBA/PES systems. The mechanical test results showed that the use of a smaller amount of the copolymer of PES-5-MA and nBA or of blends of PES and PnBA leads to an effective toughening of the DGEBA resin. The blending of PES and PnBA as a modifier for epoxy resin is found to be especially promising.