Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis of epoxy/rubber blends

Abstract

For rubber-modified epoxy blends, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was mainly used to investigate the influence of rubber content on the relaxation of modified epoxies. The storage modulus and glass transition temperature generally decrease as the rubber content increases in epoxy matrix. It is therefore DMTA that enables us to study the variations of these parameters of rubber-toughened epoxy blends. The combination uses of microscopic observations and DMTA help us to identify the phase structures of rubber in epoxy matrix. DMTA also provides supporting evidence to phase structures of rubber inclusions in epoxy matrix and an important reference for thermal stability of rubber-modified epoxy blends.