AFM Fracture Surface Study Of Vinylester And Unsaturated Polyester Based Thermosets

LETTER AFM fracture surface study of vinylester and unsaturated polyester based thermosets M. A. Mosiewicki Æ W. F. Schroeder Æ F. L. Leite Æ P. S. P. Hermann Æ A. A. S. Curvelo Æ M. I. Aranguren Æ J. Borrajo Received: 28 November 2005 / Accepted: 14 March... More

LETTER AFM fracture surface study of vinylester and unsaturated polyester based thermosets M. A. Mosiewicki Æ W. F. Schroeder Æ F. L. Leite Æ P. S. P. Hermann Æ A. A. S. Curvelo Æ M. I. Aranguren Æ J. Borrajo Received: 28 November 2005 / Accepted: 14 March 2006 / Published online: 5 August 2006 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006 The study and understanding of the structure and properties of styrene/vinylester (St/VE) and styrene/unsaturated polyester (St/UP) cross-linked thermosets has received technologic and scientific attention, because these resins are widely used as matrices in composites formulations, sharing advantages, such as low room temperature viscosity coupled with good mechanical properties and low cost, plus the added chemical resistance in the case of VE. To investigate the morphologies of these systems, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) offers an useful tool at a micron scale, while the atomic force microscopy (AFM) allows to reach the detail of the topography Less