Thermal and mechanical characterisation of intercalated epoxy nanocomposites

Intercalated epoxy-layered silicate nanocomposites have been prepared using epoxy resins of varying functionalities. Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), triglycidyl p-amino phenol (TGAP) and tetraglycidyl diamino diphenylmethane (TGDDM) were mixed with 2.5-10 wt.-% of an organophilic modified layered silicate and cured with diethyltoluene diamine. The d-spacing of the layered silicates in the cured resin system was determined by wide angle X-ray analysis. The catalytic influence of the clay on the bifunctional DGEBA system was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was used to investigate the glass transition temperatures of the three different resin systems and therefore the changes in the network structure as a result of the incorporation of the clay content. Fracture measurements showed an increasing toughness of the nanocomposites with increasing clay content in all systems.