Epoxy resin/plasticized carbon black composites. Part II. Correlation among network structure and mechanical properties

Abstract The network structure, mechanical properties, and thermal gravimetric of epoxy resin filled with plasticized carbon black (CB) have been studied. The effect of CB concentration on composite morphology as well as cross linking density (n), volume fraction of resin (V_r), degree of crystallinity (X_c), mean gap among conductive particles (g), aspect ratio (F), and mechanical property such as modulus of elasticity (Y_m), hardness (H_A), and elongation at break (EB) have been examined and correlated to establish structure–property relationships. According to the thermal gravimetric analysis, the thermal decomposition of the composite took place at a slightly higher temperature than that of green epoxy. It proved that the inclusion of plasticized CB improves the quality of the network structure and enhances the mechanical properties of the composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.