Insights into the synergistic mechanism of reactive aliphatic soft chains and nano‐silica on toughening epoxy resins with improved mechanical properties and low viscosity

Toughening epoxy resin (EP) without sacrificing strength, modulus, and processing performance is always a harsh task. Here, a series of epoxy systems containing soft butyl glycidyl ether (BGE) and rigid nano‐silica (nano‐SiO 2 ) were prepared. Micro‐phase separation structures derived from the self‐assembly effect of BGE can be observed in atomic force microscopy images by controlling the total amount of BGE and nano‐SiO 2 at 2 wt% for the EP...