Epoxy resins are widely used in composites and coatings due to their excellent thermal and mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and ease of processing. However, they can be limited by low toughness and susceptibility to delamination or impact damage under certain service conditions.

Mia will present her research on enhancing the toughness of epoxy networks through topological control of the network structure, eliminating the need for traditional additives that often compromise other desirable properties and processability. Her approach involves introducing a pre-reacted epoxy-amine substructure, which is reactively incorporated into the network to create a novel fracture energy dissipation mechanism at the molecular level.