Open AccessControl of the block copolymer morphology in templated epoxy thermosets
Author(s) -
HermelDavidock Theresa J.,
Tang H. Sean,
Murray Daniel J.,
Hahn Stephen F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of polymer science part b: polymer physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1099-0488
pISSN - 0887-6266
DOI - 10.1002/polb.21336
Subject(s) - copolymer , micelle , thermosetting polymer , materials science , epoxy , polymer chemistry , morphology (biology) , amphiphile , solvent , chemical engineering , curing (chemistry) , composite material , polymer , chemistry , aqueous solution , organic chemistry , biology , genetics , engineering
It has been found that by the addition of low concentrations of an amphiphilic block copolymer to an epoxy resin, novel disordered morphologies can be formed and preserved through curing. This article will focus on characterizing the influence of the block copolymer and casting solvent on the templated morphology achieved in the thermoset sample. The ultimate goal of this work is to determine the parameters that would control the microphase morphology produced. Epoxy resins blended with a series of amphiphilic block copolymers based on hydrogenated polyisoprene (polyethylene‐ alt ‐propylene or PEP) and polyethylene oxide (PEO), specifically, were investigated. In this article, the cure‐induced order–order phase transition from the spherical to wormlike micelle morphology will also be discussed. It is proposed that the formation of the wormlike micelle structure from the spherical micelle structure is similar to the phase transition behavior that occurs in dilute block copolymer solutions as a function of the influence of the solvent on micelle morphology. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3338–3348, 2007