Preparation of TiO2 epoxy nanocomposites by ultrasonic dispersion and resulting properties |
| |
| Authors: | Birgit Bittmann Frank Haupert Alois K. Schlarb |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH, Erwin‐Schr?dinger‐Str. Geb. 58, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany;2. Hochschule Hamm‐Lippstadt, Lehrgebiet: Konstruktive Produktgestaltung, Marker Allee 76‐78, 59063 Hamm, Germany;3. Department of Composite Engineering cCe and Research Center OPTIMAS, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany |
| |
| Abstract: | Nanocomposites gained more and more importance in the last few years because of their improved performance over the neat polymer matrix, that is, toughness and stiffness can be enhanced simultaneously by the addition of nanoparticles. However, the dispersion of these particles in the matrix remains a big challenge. In this study, two types of TiO2 nanoparticles were dispersed in two different epoxy resins by means of ultrasound. The particle size development in dependence on the dispersion time was investigated by dynamic light scattering for the different material systems. Furthermore, the influence of the viscosity on the sonication process' efficiency was analyzed. The resulting nanocomposites were tested for fracture and Charpy toughness. SEM images revealed that the improved fracture toughness properties are correlated to a rougher fracture surface, whose formation dissipates more energy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 |
| |
| Keywords: | nanocomposites thermosets ultrasonic dispersion toughness |
|
|
