Jiyeon Cheon

Ms. Jiyeon Cheon


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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5 March 2025 in Polymers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
WKWoong Kwon
Woong Kwon
JCJiyeon Cheon
Jiyeon Cheon
HJHei Je Jeong
Hei Je Jeong
JWJong Sung Won
Jong Sung Won
BKByeong-Joo Kim
Byeong-Joo Kim
EJEuigyung Jeong
Euigyung Jeong
Fracture toughness is a key property of epoxy resins with a high glass transition temperature (Tg), used in carbon fiber/epoxy composites for aerospace applications. Conventional toughening methods rely on adding toughening agents, often compromising the processibility and thermal stability. This study introduces a simple self-toughening approach that enhances the fracture toughness without sacrificing other properties by controlling the cured epoxy network structure. Tetraglycidyl 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM) epoxy resin was cured using mixtures of structural isomeric curing agents, 3,3′- and 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (3,3′- and 4,4′-DDS), at ratios of 7:3, 5:5, and 3:7. The optimal 7:3 ratio produced a resin with 30% higher fracture toughness compared to TGDDM/3,3′-DDS and 100% higher than the TGDDM/4,4′-DDS system. The Tg of the self-toughened resin ranged from 241 to 266 °C, which was intermediate between the Tg values of the TGDDM/3,3′-DDS and TGDDM/4,4′-DDS systems. This improvement is attributed to the higher crosslink density and reduced free volume of the epoxy network. These findings demonstrate that simply mixing isomeric curing agents enables self-toughening, providing a practical and efficient strategy to enhance the performance of high-Tg epoxy resins in advanced composite applications.