Dielectric constant enhancement of epoxy thermosets via formation of polyelectrolyte nanophases.Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(sodium p-styrenesulfonate) (PEO-b-PSSNa) diblock copolymer was synthesized and then incorporated into epoxy to obtain the nanostructured epoxy thermosets containing polyelectrolyte nanophases.  By means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), the morphologies of the nanostructured epoxy thermosets containing PSSNa nanophases were investigated.  The measurement of dielectric properties showed that, with the incorporation of PSSNa nanophases, the dielectric constants of the epoxy thermoset were significantly increased.  Compared to the control epoxy, the dielectric loss of the nanostructured thermosets still remained at quite a low level, although the values of dielectric loss were slightly increased with inclusion of PSSNa nanophases.
THERM