Block copolymer modified epoxy resins have generated significant interest since it was demonstrated that the combination could lead to nanostructured thermosets through self-assembly. Over moderate to high polymer concentration the system behaves as expected for a block copolymer in a solvent selective for one block. Two types of copolymers have been studied: non-reactive and reactive modifiers. Morphologies such as copolymer vesicle and spherical/wormlike micelles can be formed under the appropriate conditions. The enhancement of the modified thermosets' mechanical properties depends on the morphology adopted by the polymers. Besides improving mechanical properties, the morphology was found to also have an effect on the glass transition in the studied systems. In this review we collect the available data on the block copolymers used to fabricate nanostructured epoxy resins and critically appraise the properties reported

Unsolvated block copolymers and surfactant solutions are “soft materials” that share a common set of ordered microstructures. A set of polyethyleneoxide-polyethylethylene (PEO-PEE) block copolymers that are chemically similar to the well-known alkane-oxyethylene (C_nEO_m) nonionic surfactants was synthesized here. The general phase behavior in these materials resembles that of both higher molecular weight block copolymers and lower molecular weight nonionic surfactant solutions. Two of the block copolymers exhibited thermally induced order-order transitions and were studied in detail by small-angle scattering. The fundamental microstructural spacing was determined to be a crucial parameter in these transitions. Transitions from one ordered state to another occur only when the lattice spacing is nearly matched. These materials highlight the importance of epitaxy and molecular conformation in the phase transformations of soft material.