Epoxy clay nanocomposites - processing, properties and applications: A review

The review renders a short background on the research work carried out on epoxy clay nanocomposites. Clays are one of the ideal nano reinforcements for polymers because of their high intercalation chemistry and aspect ratio. Epoxy clay nanocomposites are finding vast applications in various industries like aerospace, defense, automobile, etc. The physical and chemical properties of the epoxy systems are influenced by the processing techniques, clay modifier and curing agents used for the preparation of nanocomposites. The clay morphology (intercalation/exfoliation) of the nanocomposites is also depended on the above parameters. So the emphasis of the present work is to highlight these parameters on morphology and the final mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of the nanocomposites. The proposed applications of the epoxy clay nanocomposites are also discussed. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.