Miscibility, morphology, mechanical, and thermodynamic properties of epoxy resins toughened with functionalized core-shell nanoparticles containing epoxy groups on the surface

Purpose – In order to obtain functionalized core-shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) as excellent toughening agents for epoxy resins. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Functionalized CSNPs containing epoxy groups on the surface were synthesized by emulsion polymerization with butyl acrylate as the core and methyl methacrylate copolymerizing with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) as the shell. CSNPs were used as toughening agents for epoxy resins and their chemical structure was characterized by FT-IR. The morphology of modified epoxy networks (MEPN) was analyzed by SEM and TEM. Both the mechanical properties and thermodynamic properties were studied. Findings – The results show that nearly spherical CSNPs with the particle size of 50-100 nm are obtained. A certain amount of CSNPs are uniformly dispersed in epoxy resins by the grinding method and the MEPN shows the ductile fracture feature. The miscibility between CSNPs and epoxy matrix increases with the increase of GMA concentration...