The Morphology and Fracture Properties of Thermoplastic-Toughened Epoxy Polymers

The present work investigates the effect on the morphology, fracture performances, and tensile properties of an epoxy polymer when modified with various percentages of a thermoplastic-polymeric toughener. The thermoplastic toughener was a poly(ether sulfone) copolymer with reactive end-groups. It was initially soluble in the epoxy-resin/hardener mixture but phase separated during the curing of the epoxy resin. After the epoxy had cured, the...