Amphiphilic block copolymers and inorganic nanofillers to enhance performance of thermosetting polymers
Curable compositions, cured compositions, and methods of forming the same, including an epoxy resin, a curing agent, an amphiphilic toughening agent, and an inorganic nanofiller, wherein the toughening agent forms a second phase having at least one dimension being on the nanometer scale.
1. A curable composition, comprising:
(a) an epoxy resin;
(b) a curing agent;
(c) an amphiphilic block copolymer toughening agent that creates a second phase with at least one dimension being on the nanometer scale; and
(d) an inorganic nanofiller;
wherein the curable composition, when cured, provides a composite containing both a toughening agent, component (c), a nanofiller, component (d), exhibits a fracture toughness of at least 20 percent greater than a composite containing either a toughening agent, component (c) or a nanofiller, component (d), alone.
2. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin ranges from about 30 to about 98 percent by volume of the curable composition.
3. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the curable composition comprises 0.1 to 100 parts curing agent per hundred parts epoxy resin by weight.
4. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the curable composition comprises from about 1 to about 20 percent toughening agent by volume.
5. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the curable composition comprises from about 1 to about 10 percent nanofiller by volume.
6. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the nanofiller comprises silica.
7. The curable composition of claim 1 , further comprising a catalyst.
8. The curable composition of claim 7 , wherein the curable composition comprises 0.1 to 10 parts catalyst per hundred parts epoxy resin by weight.
9. The curable composition of claim 1 , further comprising from about 20 to about 70 percent by volume of a reinforcing material.
10. A composite, comprising a reaction product of a curable composition comprising:
(a) 30 to 98 percent by volume of an epoxy resin;
(b) a curing agent;
(c) an amphiphilic block copolymer toughening agent forming a second phase and having at least one dimension being on the nanometer scale; and
(d) an inorganic nanofiller
wherein the curable composition, when cured, provides the composition containing both a toughening agent, component (c), and a nanofiller, component (d), exhibits a fracture toughness of at least 20 percent greater than a composite containing either a toughening agent, component (c) or a nanofiller, component (d), alone.