Epoxy resins constitute an important class of thermosets which are used extensively with excellent properties. However

the inherent brittleness as a result of high crosslinking density has greatly limited their applications in certain areas. Therefore

the toughening modification of epoxy resins has become the focus of research. In this review

recent advances on toughening epoxy resins based on some major toughening materials such as rubbers

silicones

thermoplastics

dendrimers

block polymers

and nanofillers have been summarized systematically. In addition

the toughening mechanism of various materials have been briefly described

and meanwhile

the research on toughening modification of epoxy resin has been analyzed and prospected.