Mechanical Characteristics and Thermal Stability of Hybrid Epoxy and Acrylic Polymer Coating/Nanoclay of Various Thicknesses

In this work, we employed the casting procedure to synthesize polymer hybrids from epoxy with acrylic polymer coating with nanoclay. The investigated polymer hybrid was composed of 80% epoxy resin, 17% acrylic polymer solution, and 3% nanoclay. The polymer hybrid samples were ranged in thickness from 1 to 3 mm. The influence of the sample's thickness on thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties, as well as the constant angle of polymer hybrids were examined. The structural investigation revealed that the loaded nanocaly is crystalline with an average crystal size of 56 nm inside the amorphous polymer matrix. Also, it consistently dispersed throughout the epoxy matrix, showing that the tiny nanoparticles were meant to agglomerate with one another. The maximum thermal stability was found in polymer hybrids with a thickness of 2 mm, and the contact angle was closed to 90 degrees for polymer hybrids with a thickness of 1.5 mm. The hardness values were remained constant around 73 +/- 1 and were unaffected by sample's thickness. Meanwhile, increasing the polymer hybrid's thickness slightly improves the impact and flexural strength values. The anticipated value of the wear rate was slightly changed while increasing with applied force. As the thickness of the synthesized polymer hybrids was rose from 1 to 3 mm, the thermal conductivity was fell from 0.47 to 0.32 W/m K. The synthesized hybrid epoxy and acrylic polymer coating/nanoclay was exhibit significant thermal and mechanical stability, as well as hydrophobicity, and hence may be employed for floor painting and waterproofing applications.

Automated summary

In this study, polymer hybrids consisting of epoxy resin, acrylic polymer coating, and nanoclay were synthesized using the casting procedure. The thickness of the samples was varied from 1 to 3 mm. The influence of sample thickness on thermal stability, thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and contact angle was investigated. Structural analysis showed that the loaded nanoclay formed crystalline structures with an average size of 56 nm within the amorphous polymer matrix. The nanoclay was uniformly dispersed throughout the epoxy matrix, indicating a lack of agglomeration. The maximum thermal stability was observed in samples with a thickness of 2 mm, and a contact angle close to 90 degrees was achieved with a thickness of 1.5 mm. Hardness values remained constant regardless of sample thickness. Increasing the thickness slightly improved impact and flexural strength values, while the wear rate increased slightly with applied force. As the thickness of the synthesized polymer hybrids increased from 1 to 3 mm, the thermal conductivity decreased from 0.47 to 0.32 W/m K. The synthesized polymer hybrids exhibited significant thermal and mechanical stability, as well as hydrophobicity, making them suitable for floor painting and waterproofing applications.