| Polymerization induced phase separation (PIPS) is a widely existing process where an initially miscible, single-phase mixture undergoes phase decomposition during the polymerization of one component, and finally transforms to a phase separated blend. In this thesis, a study of PIPS in DGEBA based epoxy/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) systems is presented in two parts. The first part involves monitoring of the phase separation process and final morphologies, including an investigation on the impact of processing conditions on ultimate morphologies. The second part contains a series of thermomechanical studies of cured epoxy/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blends. It has been discovered that at relatively high temperatures (60°C∼200°C), depending on the morphology, the material can behave as a high-strength glassy polymer, a low-Tg chemically crosslinked semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN), or a physically crosslinked "pseudo-elastomer". Such epoxy/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blends have a great potential and versatility for a large range of applications. |
