Fabrication of surface-treated SiC/epoxy composites through a wetting method for enhanced thermal and mechanical properties

Silicon carbide (SiC)/epoxy composites were prepared by a wetting method. To increase the dispersion of dropped epoxy resin on top of the SiC cake, a surface oxidation treatment was applied to the SiC particles. The surface treatment of the SiC particles was applied for an enhanced wettability of the epoxy resin due to a secondary interaction between SiC and epoxy. The thermal transport properties of the composites were maximized at 70 wt.% of SiC during the wetting process because of the limited porosity of the SiC cake. The measured thermal conductivity as a function of the filler concentration correlated with Agari's model. The results, based on the coefficient obtained by Agari's model, indicated that the wetting method for the production of the composites combined with a surface treatment of SiC particles facilitates the formation of conducting paths. Storage modulus results also revealed that the wetting process results in enhanced mechanical properties of the composites. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.