Micro- or nanoseparated phases in thermoset blends of an epoxy resin and PEO–PPO–PEO triblock copolymer

Nanostructuring Biobased Epoxy Resin with PEO-PPO-PEO Block Copolymer

A biobased diglycidyl ether of vanillin (DGEVA) epoxy resin was nanostructured by poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer. Due to the miscibility/immiscibility properties of the triblock copolymer in DGEVA resin, different morphologies were obtained depending on the triblock copolymer amount. A hexagonally packed cylinder morphology was kept until reaching 30 wt% of PEO-PPO-PEO content, while a more complex three-phase morphology was obtained for 50 wt%, in which large worm-like PPO domains appear surrounded by two different phases, one of them rich in PEO and another phase rich in cured DGEVA. UV-vis measurements show that the transmittance is reduced with the increase in triblock copolymer content, especially at 50 wt%, probably due to the presence of PEO crystals detected by calorimetry.

Roles of the Coupling Agent and Surfactant in Droplet Structure in Sizing Emulsions: A Molecular Dynamics Simulations Study

Sizing emulsions used as glass fiber surface treatments in composites manufacturing are aqueous suspensions of hydrophobic film formers, surface coupling agents, and surfactants. We employ all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to characterize droplet structures in several aqueous blends of the film-former diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, coupling agent glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane, and a triblock copolymer surfactant (Pluronic L35 PEO/PPO copolymer). We show that the quasi-equilibrium states of emulsion droplets are invariant to different initial configurations. We examine the role of the surfactant in determining coupling agent partitioning between the droplet shell and corona and coupling agent cluster size distributions. This work takes a step toward systematic understanding of the sizing chemistry to optimize the interface between the glass and the resin in commercially relevant composites.

Rheology of Polymer Processing in Spain (1995-2020)

The contribution of Spanish scientists to the rheology involved in polymer processing during the last 25 years is investigated. It is shown that the performed research covers, at different levels, all industrial polymeric materials: thermoplastics, thermosets, adhesives, biopolymers, composites and nanocomposites, and polymer modified bitumen. Therefore, the rheological behaviour of these materials in processing methods such as extrusion, injection moulding, additive manufacturing, and others is discussed, based on the literature results. A detailed view of the most outstanding achievements, based on the rheological criteria of the authors, is offered.

Toughening of photo-curable polymer networks: a review

This review surveys relevant scientific papers and patents on the development of crosslinked epoxies and also photo-curable polymers based on multifunctional acrylates with improved toughness.

Reaction-induced microphase separation in DDS-cured TGDDM thermosets containing PCL-b-PES-b-PCL triblock copolymer

Schematic diagram of micro-phase separation during the curing reaction.

Effect of poly(ethylene oxide) homopolymer and two different poly(ethylene oxide-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers on morphological, optical, and mechanical properties of nanostructured unsaturated polyester

Novel nanostructured unsaturated polyester resin-based thermosets, modified with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), and two poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymers (BCP), were developed and analyzed. The effects of molecular weights, blocks ratio, and curing temperatures on the final morphological, optical, and mechanical properties were reported. The block influence on the BCP miscibility was studied through uncured and cured mixtures of unsaturated polyester (UP) resins with PEO and PPO homopolymers having molecular weights similar to molecular weights of the blocks of BCP. The final morphology of the nanostructured thermosetting systems, containing BCP or homopolymers, was investigated, and multiple mechanisms of nanostructuration were listed and explained. By considering the miscibility of each block before and after curing, it was determined that the formation of the nanostructured matrices followed a self-assembly mechanism or a polymerization-induced phase separation mechanism. The miscibility between PEO or PPO blocks with one of two phases of UP matrix was highlighted due to its importance in the final thermoset properties. Relationships between the final morphology and thermoset optical and mechanical properties were examined. The mechanisms and physics behind the morphologies lead toward the design of highly transparent, nanostructured, and toughened thermosetting UP systems.

Liquid crystal alignment in electro-responsive nanostructured thermosetting materials based on block copolymer dispersed liquid crystal

Novel well-defined nanostructured thermosetting systems were prepared by modification of a diglicydylether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin (DGEBA) with 10 or 15 wt% amphiphilic poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PSEO) and 30 or 40 wt% low molecular weight liquid crystal 4'-(hexyl)-4-biphenyl-carbonitrile (HBC) using m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) as a curing agent. The competition between well-defined nanostructured materials and the ability for alignment of the liquid crystal phase in the materials obtained has been studied by atomic and electrostatic force microscopy, AFM and EFM, respectively. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time that addition of an adequate amount (10 wt%) of a block copolymer to 40 wt% HBC-(DGEBA/MXDA) leads to a well-organized nanostructured thermosetting system (between a hexagonal and worm-like ordered structure), which is also electro-responsive with high rate contrast. This behavior was confirmed using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), by means of the response of the HBC liquid crystal phase to the voltage applied to the EFM tip. In contrast, though materials containing 15 wt% PSEO and 30 wt% HBC also form a well-defined nanostructured thermosetting system, they do not show such a high contrast between the uncharged and charged surface.

Modificação de polímeros termorrígidos por separação de fases induzida por reação química: Sistema éter diglicidílico do Bisfenol-A e trietilenotetramina com copolímeros acrílicos

O comportamento da separação de fases e da gelificação do sistema do éter diglicidílico do Bisfenol-A com trietilenotetramina modificado com diferentes copolímeros acrílicos foi estudado. As massas moleculares e as concentrações de grupos carboxílicos nos copolímeros provocaram mudanças significativas na morfologia e provocaram ligeiras mudanças para a observação da separação de fases. Contudo, não mudaram de maneira significativa os tempos de gelificação e não afetaram a velocidade da reação. O sistema modificado com os copolímeros acrílicos mostrou o efeito de retardação cinética. A morfologia foi relacionada com a aderência ao cisalhamento, em juntas de aço-aço, através de ensaios de resistência mecânica usando juntas de cisalhamento simples, as que foram produzidas com o sistema modificado com os copolímeros acrílicos segundo a norma ASTM D 1002. Amostras com a fase dispersa apresentando morfologia com partículas de diâmetro médio menor que 0,10 µm mostraram o melhor desempenho de aderência ao cisalhamento para as massas moleculares dos copolímeros estudadas. Entretanto, um melhor comportamento mecânico para as concentrações de grupos carboxílicos nos copolímeros acrílicos foi observado para a morfologia com distribuição de tamanhos de partículas na faixa de 0,20 a 0,52 µm.