In this study, five types of elastomer additive such as polybutadiene (PB), hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), amine-terminated polybutadiene (ATPB), and epoxidized hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (EHTPB) with 5 % and 30 % epoxide conversion ...
In this study, five types of elastomer additive such as polybutadiene (PB), hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), amine-terminated polybutadiene (ATPB), and epoxidized hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (EHTPB) with 5 % and 30 % epoxide conversion were individually blended with an epoxy resin. Carbon black (CB) was incorporated at loading of 3 phr and 10 phr to comparatively analyze the resulting mechanical and thermal properties of the epoxy-based composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis was conducted to evaluate the bonding characteristics between the elastomer additives and the epoxy matrix, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed interfacial defects associated with the type of reactive end groups as well as the degree of CB dispersion. These morphological features directly influenced the mechanical properties of the composites. In particular, the EHTPB-based composites exhibited superior mechanical performance due to enhanced compatibility with the epoxy resin and the formation of a crosslinked network, whereas the incorporation of PB into the composites reduced the mechanical performance owing to their limited reactivity with the epoxy matrix. Thermal properties were assessed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tan δ measurements. Samples containing reactive functional elastomer additives exhibited relatively lower glass transition temperatures (Tg), while the PB-based composite showed an increase in Tg due to poor dispersion of elastomer and CB arising from their lack of chemical interaction with the epoxy matrix. When the CB content increased, the incorporation of EHTPB into the composites, which is highly compatible with both CB and the epoxy matrix, exhibited a decrease in Tg. Overall, this study demonstrates that the type of elastomer additive and the amount of CB can be strategically selected and adjusted to design epoxy composites with tailored durability, mechanical performance, and thermal resistance for applications such as high-durability structural materials, low-and high- temperature-resistant composites, and electronic materials