Eman Heydari - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Damghan, Damghan, Iran
Mehrdad Omidi-Ghallemohamadi - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Damghan, Damghan, Iran
Hossein Behniafar - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Damghan, Damghan, Iran

Epoxy networks are one of the most important class of thermosetting materials for many engineering applications because of their high thermal and mechanical strength and good dielectric behavior.1,2 Epoxy resins have normally poor crack resistance at room temperature, and are also highly brittle at cryogenic temperature, which makes them inappropriate for many cryogenic engineering applications.3 Thus, it is necessary to improve the toughness and ductility of epoxy networks so that they can be suitable even at low temperatures.4 In this approach, replacing rigid structures with more flexible backbones as well as utilization of epoxy/hardeners with higher molecular weights, consequently lower crosslink density can be considered. In this work, diglycidyl ether of polyethylene glycol (DGEPEG) was blended with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DER-332) in various proportions and cured with 4'4 - diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) hardener (Fig. 1). FT-IR and TGA techniques were used to characterize the samples obtained.

Epoxy networks, Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, Diglycidyl ether of polyethylene glycol, 4'4 -Diaminodiphenyl sulfone.