Flexibility improvement of epoxy nanocomposites thin films using various flexibilizing additives

Epoxy thin films have attracted substantial research attention in the electronic industry because of their excellent thermo-mechanical properties, ease of processing, chemical resistance capability combined with superior electrical insulation, and favorable economics. However, the major drawback of epoxy systems comes from their brittleness, which causes poor resistance to crack, low impact strength, and low toughness. The present paper reports on the effects of the addition of different types of flexibilizers; flezibilizing resin (FR-1), polyol resin (FR-2), and toughening resin (FR-3), and synthetic diamond (SD) nanofillers, on the mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and thermal stability properties of epoxy nanocomposite thin films. The addition of flexibilizing additives into the epoxy matrix results in a major enhancement in flexibility as identified by the improvement in elongation at break. FR-1 and FR-3, which contain silicone elastomers, cause less severe degradation on the tensile modulus and strength compared with FR-2. The addition of SD helps increase the stiffness of epoxy nanocomposite thin films and improves their thermal stability but decreases their flexibility.