Phase separation and rheological behavior during curing of an epoxy resin modified with syndiotactic polystyrene

The phase separation and crystallization processes occurring in a semicrystalline thermoplastic-(epoxy/amine) system were studied by using dynamic oscillatory rheometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, a transmission optical microscope (TOM) equipped with a hot stage was used to get a direct representation of the obtained morphologies at different times during the phase separation and crystallization processes. The morphology of the cured samples was additionally studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The selected thermoset system was diglicydylether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) cured with 4,4'-methylene bis (3-chloro-2,6-dietihylaniline) (MCDEA) and modified with syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS). In the initially miscible semicrystalline thermoplastic/thermoset system, phase separation is induced by the curing reaction (reaction-induced phase separation [RIPS]) and by crystallization of the thermoplastic (crystallization induced phase separation [CIPS]). Both phenomena take place almost at the same curing time and both have strong influence on the morphology of cured samples. (c) 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers.