Hydroxyl-terminated liquid natural rubbers (HTNRs), prepared by the Photo-Fenton reaction, were used to modify bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether-based epoxy (DGEBA). A chemical link between HTNRs and the epoxy resin was promoted employing toluene diisocyanate. The reactions between elastomers and epoxy resin were followed by FTIR. The mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated and the microstructure was investigated using scanning electronic microscopy. The results showed that the impact resistance of HTNR-modified DGEBA was superior to that of the pure epoxy resin. For the composites with HTNR, the impact resistance increased with elastomer concentration up to 2.5 parts per hundred parts of resin. Higher concentration of HTNR resulted in larger particles which gave lower impact values.

Hydroxyl-terminated liquid natural rubber (HTNR) was prepared by the photo-Fenton reaction, which was carried out in solution in the presence of H2O2/Fe(II) combined with UV irradiation. The HTNR obtained was characterized by GPC, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DEPT-NMR spectroscopy as well as by chemical methods. A probable mechanism leading to the formation of HTNR was discussed based on the analytical data.