No abstract

Composites are materials consisting of two or more chemically distinct constituents, on a macro-scale, having a distinct interface separating them. One or more discontinuous phases are therefore embedded in a continuous phase to form a composite 1,2. The discontinuous phase is usually harder and stronger than the continuous phase and is called the reinforcement, whereas the continuous phase is termed the matrix. Inorganic particles reinforced composites reveal enormous potential in producing materials with low friction, high wear resistance etc. Wetzel et al. 3 have investigated the friction and wear of low nanometre Si3N4 filled epoxy composites. Epoxy resins are extensively used in various industries such as coatings, insulating and substrate materials due to their superior mechanical and electrical, excellent moisture and chemical resistance low shrinkages, etc. 4. In present work, various percentages of ZnO (1, 3, 5 and 7 %) reinforced epoxy resins are prepared to get the respective composites. The mechanical properties of these composites are evaluated and compared. Flexural and impact strength increases up to 5 % and there after a negative trend appeared. This negative trend may be due to the clustering of ZnO particles in the polymer matrix resulting from non-uniform dispersion at higher concentration 5. Zinc oxide were procured from Merck and used as received. The epoxy resin (DGEBP-A) and curing agent (poly amido phenol) were purchased from Javanthee Enterprises Private Limited,