Thermo-mechanical properties of polysulfone based nanocomposites with well dispersed silica nanoparticles

The effect of the filler on the thermo-mechanical properties of polysulfone filled nanocomposites was studied considering different loads of silica nanoparticles (0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 wt%). Thermal characterization showed that: (i) the degradation temperature slightly increases with the content of particles; (ii) glass transition temperature is not affected by the presence of the particles, suggesting a weak interaction between the matrix and the particles. Although thermogravimetric analysis indicate there may be certain favorable interactions between the polymer and the filler, they must not be so important as to reduce chain mobility nearby the surface of the particles. Mechanical properties (modulus of rupture, hardness, indentation modulus, etc.) remain almost constant up to relatively high contents of nanoparticles (5 wt%). A significant increase was only observed for the sample with 10% of nanoparticles suggesting that, in this system, interconnection between particles must exist to efficiently modify the polysulfone properties. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.