Dynamic Thermosetting Resins with Synergistic Enhanced Strength and Toughness through Combination with Rigid and Soft Microdomains

Abstract

Preparation of the materials that possess highly strong and tough properties simultaneously has always been a great challenge. Thermosetting resins as a type of widely used polymeric materials without synergistic strength and toughness limit their applications in some special fields. In this report, we present an effective strategy to prepare thermosetting resins with synergistic strength and toughness. In this method, the soft and rigid microspheres with dynamic hemiaminal bonds were fabricated firstly, followed by hot‐pressing to crosslink at the interfaces. Specifically, the rigid or soft microspheres were prepared via precipitation polymerization. After hot‐pressing, the resulting rigid‐soft blending materials exhibit superior strength and toughness simultaneously. As compared with the precursor rigid or soft materials, the toughness of the rigid‐soft blending films (RSBFs) was improved to 240% and 2100%, respectively, while the strength is comparable to the rigid precursor. As compared with the traditional crushing, blending, and hot‐pressing of rigid or soft materials to get the nonuniform materials, the strength and toughness of the rigid‐soft blending films were improved to 168% and 255%, respectively. This approach holds significant promises for the fabrication of polymer thermosets with unique combination of strength and toughness.

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