Mullite-reinforced caprolactam-toughened DGEBA epoxy nanocomposites

Abstract

This work describes the development of different weight percentages of glycidyl functionalized mullite-reinforced caprolactam-toughened epoxy (MCEP) nanocomposites. The functionalization of mullite and MCEP are confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. Further, the morphological, surface behaviour and thermal properties are studied using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, goniometer, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. Surface studies show that the values of contact angle increased with increase in weight percentage of mullite and thus 1.5 wt% MCEP nanocomposites show values of higher contact angle (89.6°) and lower water absorption (0.107%) behaviour than those of the composites reinforced with lower wt% of mullite. Moreover, 1.5 wt% MCEP nanocomposites possess better impact behaviour (266.4 J m−2) than that of neat epoxy matrix. Thus the hybrid composite materials developed in this work are expected to find applications in different industrial and engineering sectors with improved performance and longevity.

Influence of liquid‐like polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes derivatives structures on thermal resistance property of their epoxy nanocomposites

“…As described before in this article, the crosslinking density is one key factor that the thermal property of nanocomposites is improved. The residual epoxy group in curved system and gel content are two indexes of crosslinking density. The less epoxy groups and higher gel content, the higher crosslinking density and better thermal and mechanical property the composite has.…”

Bio-based silica-reinforced caprolactam-toughened epoxy nanocomposites

“…The appearance of peak at 1654 cm À1 corresponds to the amide group, which confirms that the formation of network structure between epoxy resin and caprolactam is through the ring-opening polymerization. 20,21 The peak appeared at 1126 cm À1 corresponds to the CH 2 stretching in the composites. Further, surface GRS possesses an active epoxy functional group that takes part in the ring-opening reaction with both DGEBA and caprolactam.…”

“…The reinforcement of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt% GRS increased the free volume and also facilitated the enhanced molecular motions in the composites, which consequently increased the value of impact strength. 20 The values of hardness of neat epoxy matrix, CPE and GRS/CPE nanocomposites are also presented in Table 2. The skeleton of caprolactam present in the composites imparts flexibility and reduces the hardness behaviour.…”

UV Aging Behavior of Functionalized Mullite Nanofiber-Reinforced Polypropylene

“… 21 , 22 Recently, mullite nanofibers (MNF) have been used as a nanofiller for the development of epoxy, unsaturated polyester resin, and polypropylene nanocomposites due to their high thermal stability, optimal oxygen resistance, and low dielectric constant. 23 − 27 …”

“…Polymer nanocomposites are functional materials generated by reinforcing polymers with a variety of nanofillers such as nanoparticles, nanorods, nanoplatelets, nanoflakes, nanofibers, etc. These materials offer superior mechanical, electrical, thermal, and gas barrier properties compared to pure polymer matrices due to nanoscale filler dispersion. − Among many polymers employed to generate polymer nanocomposites, a significant research effort has been devoted to the development of polypropylene (PP) composites to overcome its limitation of low impact resistance at low temperatures. ,− Mullite is one of the ceramic nanomaterials with its structure combining silica and alumina (3Al 2 O 3 /2SiO 2 ), and it is widely used in electronic, optical, and high-temperature structural applications. , In addition, mullite can be used in packaging materials and memory devices. , Recently, mullite nanofibers (MNF) have been used as a nanofiller for the development of epoxy, unsaturated polyester resin, and polypropylene nanocomposites due to their high thermal stability, optimal oxygen resistance, and low dielectric constant. − …”