Effect of Maleimides on mechanical properties of epoxy compositions

Epoxy resins are a very versatile class of compounds. They have excellent mechanical properties and are easily processable. In the present study the effect of addition Of various maleimides on the mechanical properties of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM) based epoxy composites was evaluated. The imides used were based on aniline, a-napthyl amine, o-chloroaniline and p-nitro aniline. All the modified epoxy matrices showed an improvement in mechanical properties between 2.5 to 5 phr followed by a decrease as the concentration of the maleimide increased. This would allow for the use of maleimides in epoxy compositions where minor changes in properties can be brought about by the incorporation of small quantities of these additives.