The necessity for epoxies in new technologies is overwhelming. For these epoxies to perform at their maximum capabilities, both high strength and toughness must be in the list of mechanical properties. This is where bi-modal networks become important. Their combinations of both long- and short-chain cross linkers vary the cross-link density of the epoxy and thus improve the toughness. Here, a study was done to see if these bi-modal networks increase...

A model epoxy-silane interpenetrating network (IPN) was synthesized to simulate the molecular structure found at the fiber-matrix interphase. The Young's modulus (E) of the epoxy-silane IPN was determined% trough micromechanical analysis both quasi-statically and in the frequency domain. The epoxy-silane IPN was synthesized by diffusion of uncured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin and bis (p-aminocyclohexyl) methane (PACM) curing...