Abstract Epoxy resins are inherently brittle caused by their highly cross-linked network structure. Herein, we report an effective method of toughening without loss of mechanical properties. Carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CNT-COOHs) were added to an epoxy (EP)/polysulfone (PSF) blend to control the phase separation behavior, fracture toughness and mechanical properties of the resultant ternary composites. Although CNT-COOHs did not change the phase separation mechanism of the EP/PSF blend they had an important influence on the final phase morphology. Rheological analysis showed that the complex viscosity and the cure-reaction rate of EP/PSF were increased by adding CNT-COOHs, leading to a significant suppression of the phase separation process which stopped at an earlier stage. Also, the fracture, mechanical and thermal properties of the EP/PSF/CNT-COOH composites were found to be increased due to the presence of CNT-COOHs.

中文翻译：

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羧化碳纳米管对环氧树脂/聚砜共混物相分离行为和断裂力学性能的影响

摘要 环氧树脂由于其高度交联的网络结构而具有固有的脆性。在此，我们报告了一种有效的增韧方法而不损失机械性能。将羧化碳纳米管 (CNT-COOH) 添加到环氧树脂 (EP)/聚砜 (PSF) 混合物中，以控制所得三元复合材料的相分离行为、断裂韧性和机械性能。尽管 CNT-COOH 没有改变 EP/PSF 混合物的相分离机制，但它们对最终相形态有重要影响。流变学分析表明，添加 CNT-COOHs 提高了 EP/PSF 的复数粘度和固化反应速率，从而显着抑制了在较早阶段停止的相分离过程。还有骨折，