Morphology Evolution During Curing of Thermoset Blends

Polymer blending is an effective strategy to develop new materials that possess beneficial properties, combining desirable attributes of two or more polymers. The mechanical properties of two thermoset polymers were manipulated through the development of thermoset blends. The thermoset blend system was composed of an epoxy resin contributing to high tensile strength and modulus and polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD) which has a higher toughness and impact strength as compared to other thermoset polymers. Ultra-small-angle and small-angle X-ray scattering analysis was used to probe the structure of the thermoset blends as it evolves during the curing process. To further understand the stages in the curing process and the phase separation process certain variables as they change with time are studied.