Preparation and characterization of epoxy resin with low amount of polyetherimide

Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was blended by adding polyetherimide (PEI) as thermoplastic for the mechanical properties and thermal stability with different contents of PEI. The mechanical behaviors were conducted using a universal test machine (UTM) and investigated with the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for the thermal stability. The mechanical properties were determined by measuring flexural strength and fracture toughness of the prepared blends. The values were enhanced as PEI was put into the epoxy resin up to 2 wt.%. In addition, the TGA results indicated that the thermal stability of the prepared blends was enhanced upon the increasing PEI. The values were displayed as the integral procedural decomposition temperature (IPDT) and the activation energy (E_t). The prepared blends containing PEI were improved than neat DGEBA in the IPDT and the E_t. Therefore, PEI-modified epoxy resin was increased by extending PEI content for thermal stability and improved up to 2 wt.% PEI for flexibility and toughness in this work.