Start Publications Resin Wettability Correlates Linearly to Interfacial Fracture ...
Attension

Resin Wettability Correlates Linearly to Interfacial Fracture Energy between Thermosetting Elastomers and Glass

Year: 2022

Journal: ACS Appl. Polym. Mater., Volume 4, JUN 10, page 4244–4253

Authors: Wang, Ye; Hansen, Christopher J.; McAninch, Ian M.; Robinette, E. Jason; Peterson, Amy M.

Organizations: U.S. Army Research Laboratory [W911NF-19-2-0100]

Keywords: thermosetting elastomers; resin wettability; viscosity; glass transition temperature; viscoelastic behavior; interfacial adhesion

Interfacial adhesion influences mechanical strength, structural integrity, and overall performance for adhesively bonded structures and composite materials. In this work, we investigate the effect of resin formulation chemistry on wetting behavior and interfacial adhesion with a glass substrate. Thermosetting elastomer resin and cured network properties, including viscosity, surface tension, glass transition temperature, and molecular weight between cross-links, were also characterized, and the relative importance of these properties on adhesive strength was evaluated. Resin wettability was found to be the factor most predictive of adhesive strength between thermosetting elastomers and glass surfaces, with increasing wettability (decreasing resin contact angle) correlated with increasing interfacial fracture energy. This finding provides a convenient and fast method to screen polymer networks and enables informed tailoring of interfacial fracture energy.