Thermophysical properties of anhydride-cured epoxy/nano-clay composites

Polymer nano-composites made with a matrix of anhydride-cured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and reinforced with organo-montmorillonite clay were investigated. A sonication technique was used to process the epoxy/clay nano-composites. The thermal properties of the nano-composites were measured with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The glass transition temperature T, of the anhydride-cured epoxy was higher than the room temperature (RT). For samples with 6.25 wt% (4.0 vol%) of clay, the storage modulus at 30degreesC and at (T-g, + 15)degreesC was observed to increase 43% and 230%, respectively, relative to the value of unfilled epoxy. The clay reinforcing effect was evaluated using the Tandon-Weng model for randomly oriented particulate filled composites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination of the nano-composites prepared by sonication of clays in acetone showed well-dispersed platelets in the nano-composites. The clay nano-platelets were observed to be well-intercalated/expanded in the anhydride-cured epoxy resin system. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:42-51, 2005. (C) 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers