Phase behavior and morphology of poly(phenylene ether)/epoxy blends

The miscibility of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) based epoxies with a series of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPE) resins was measured and the effects of PPE molecular weight, end-capped or grafted functionality, and blend composition were explored. Interpretation of phase behavior was aided by the use of the Flory–Huggins theory. Miscibility behavior in the unreacted blends was found to correlate with trends in phase separation during the curing reaction. The cured morphologies of these blend systems were also studied. The compatibilization effect of PPE-epoxy copolymer formation was found to play a dominant role in determining the final size of the dispersed phase, while temperature control of reaction and mass transfer kinetics were identified as a possible means of further affecting the cured morphology.