Abstract
The synthesis of low molecular weight poly(hexylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PBO-PEO) diblock copolymers as a commercially viable additive for epoxy toughening was illustrated. The amphiphilic copolymers with molecular weights between 15,000 and 20,000 g/mol, produced nanostructures that were dispersed within the epoxy with PBO as the epoxy-phobic block and PEO as the epoxy-philic block. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize the resulting morphology of inclusithe in teh cured epoxy samples which were microtomed into 50-100 nm thick sections using a diamond knife. The block copolymers improved the toughness of the pure epoxy samples. The results shothehat teh low molecular weight block copolymers with string segregation can self-assemble to form structures in the epoxy matrix.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7187-7189 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Macromolecules |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 21 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 17 2006 |