Silver-filled epoxy composites: effect of hybrid and silane treatment on thermal properties

The combination effects of hybrid nano–micron fillers and filler treatment on the thermal properties of silver-filled epoxy composites are experimentally evaluated. These hybrid composites are fabricated using two different sizes and shapes of silver particles, namely 80 nm with spherical shape and 4–8 μm with flaky shape. In this study, the ratio of silver flakes to silver nanoparticles was varied from 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 at a fixed silver loading of 6 vol.%. The silver fillers are treated with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (3AMPTES) at different concentrations of 5, 10, and 30 wt%. The hybrid micro:nano at 50:50 shows the highest storage modulus and the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) value compared with other ratios. The silver fillers with 10 wt% of 3AMPTES show improvement in storage modulus, CTE, and thermal stability compared with untreated and further increasing of 3AMPTES at 30 wt% did not show any significant improvement.