Structure and properties of epoxy resins modified with acrylic particles

✍ Scribed by Tadashi Ashida; Atsushi Katoh; Kohichi Handa; Mitsukazu Ochi

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 421 KB
• Volume: 74
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19991213)74:12<2955::aid-app22>3.0.co;2-y

✦ Synopsis

The morphology and material properties of dicyandiamide (DICY)-cured epoxy resins modified with acrylic particles consisting of a PBA (polybutyl acrylate) core and a PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) shell and epoxy resins modified with acrylic rubber (PBA) particles alone were studied. It was found that the epoxy system modified with core/shell acrylic particles showed higher fracture toughness, indicating that the modification had a larger effect on improving the material properties of the epoxy resin. A characteristic shown by the core/shell acrylic particles is that they swell along with the epoxy resin under exposure to heat and gel before the latter cures. In this process, the epoxy resin penetrates the surface of the shell layer and a bond is formed between the epoxy matrix and the core/shell acrylic particles. This suggests that the epoxy matrix around the core/shell acrylic particles has the effect of increasing the level of energy absorption due to plastic deformation of the matrix. This is thought to explain why the epoxy resin modified with core/shell acrylic particles showed higher fracture toughness.