Fracture Toughness Enhancement of UV-Cured Epoxy Coatings Containing Al2O3 Nanoparticles

Commercially available alumina powder (-Al2O3 nanoparticles with 150nm diameter) is added up to 4 vol% into cycloaliphatic epoxy resins and cured using UV light. Chemical and physical investigations of these UV-cured, reinforced epoxy resin are carried out. The FTIR analysis indicates decreasing effect of these nanoparticles on the curing rate. The FESEM study for the fracture surface of reinforced epoxy resins revealed increase in the surface roughness that might be a sign of toughness enhancement. Also, an improvement in the scratch resistance was noticed for samples containing alumina filler.