Thermal, electrical and morphological properties of DGEBA/DDM and TGDDM/DDM epoxies modified by a flexible diepoxide and octaphenylamine-POSS

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanocrosslinker namely octaaminophenyl silsesquioxane reinforced with 1,1-bis(3-methyl-4-glycidyloxyphenyl)cyclohexane (diepoxide) modified diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) and tetraglycidyl diamino diphenyl methane (TGDDM) epoxy resins and cured with 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM). The chemical reactions that occurred between epoxy resins and DDM with POSS were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. POSS-reinforced hybrid diepoxide-epoxy resin nanocomposites were characterised for their thermal, electrical and morphological properties. T-g and heat distortion temperature of hybrid epoxy increases with increased incorporation of POSS. The data obtained from thermal studies indicated that the incorporation of nano-POSS into diepoxide-modified hybrid systems possess improved thermal stability. Dielectric properties decreased with increasing percentage of POSS in both systems. The nanolevel dispersion of octaaminophenyl silsesquioxane (POSS) was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscope studies.