Comprehensive properties analysis of epoxy composites synergistically toughened with liquid nitrile rubber and polyethersulfone

In this paper, epoxy resin (EP) composites with different phase structures were prepared by introducing hydroxyl-terminated liquid nitrile rubber (HTBN) and hydroxyl-terminated polyethersulfone (PES) individually or simultaneously into the resin matrix. The results revealed that the rational distribution of phase structure of rigid PES and flexible HTBN can effectively contributed to the enhancement in their mechanical and electrical insulation strengths. The synergistic effect of the two reinforcing fillers granted the optimized ternary composite a tougher structural network, leading to significant improvements of 73.13 % and 18.98 % in mechanical impact strength and electrical breakdown strength, respectively, compared to the pristine EP. Furthermore, compared to HTBN, PES exhibited inhibited HTBN dielectric interfacial polarization and EP molecular chain segment relaxation, resulting in decreased dielectric constant and loss in the composites. This study provide insights into the dielectric properties and design strategies for the development of resin-based dielectric materials, ensuring their broader applicability.