Thermomechanical properties of epoxy/poly(ε-caprolactone) blends

In this article we present a study on the properties ofepoxy resins blended with poly(-caprolactone) (PCL).Several blends were prepared with different PCLamounts. The resins used were a diglycidyl ether ofbisphenol F (DGEBF) and a triglycidyl p-amino phenol(TGAP) cured by diethyltoluene diamine (DETDA). All theblends were fully characterized through thermal and mechanicaltesting. The addition of PCL led to high improvementof toughness but it also reduced the glasstransition temperature. Analysis of the rheological andthermal data led to the conclusion that miscible IPNs(interpenetrated networks) were formed. The use of thetrifunctional resin TGAP with a percentage varying between20 wt% and 30 wt% proved to be an efficientmeans for increasing the glass transition temperature ofthe mixture based on DGEBF/DETDA with 20 wt% ofPCL.