In pursuit of extending the life cycle of advanced composites, such as those used in wind energy and aerospace applications, the objective of this project is to create structured thermosetting blends, where one component, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), contributes a large modulus and tensile strength and the other, polydicyclopentadiene, cured via ring opening metathesis polymerization, contributes high fracture toughness. Differential scanning calorimetry and rheology were used to explore the curing kinetics and gel-times of the individual systems in an effort to match the rate of network formation and thus limiting macroscopic phase separation through kinetically trapping the two networks and creation of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs). Given the large difference in curing kinetics, sequential curing of the two polymers was employed as a practical approach but elucidated poor compatibility between the two networks when explored via optical microscopy and glass transition temperature analysis.The immiscible nature of this system led to the decision to explore in-situ compatibilization via special dual-functional molecules that possess reactivity towards Grubbs' catalyst and DGEBA. To supplement the in-situ compatibilization efforts, cloud point measurements and small-angle neutron scattering experiments were performed to characterize the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between the components of this system and identify reaction conditions for the preparation of polymer blends with controlled morphology.

Toward tough structured thermoset blends for advanced composites

247th National Meeting (2014)

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