Effect of Functionalized Liquid Rubber on Mechanical Properties of an Epoxy Resin

In this study, an epoxy resin has been modified with different weight ratios of carboxyl-terminated polybutadiene liquid rubber. The introduction of a pre-reaction catalyst has been necessary to promote the reaction between the epoxy groups and the carboxylic acid groups of carboxyl-terminated butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer. The occurred reaction has been confirmed by infrared spectroscopy analysis. The analysis of the mechanical properties has shown that the presence of elastomeric domains allows obtaining a matrix with greater flexibility. This allows making the material competitive for many applications such as adhesives and composite matrices where a high fracture toughness is required.