Preparation, morphology and thermal/mechanical properties of epoxy/nanoclay composite

A novel approach assisted with solvent was developed to disperse clay into epoxy matrix. The dispersion of clay was examined by means of optical microscopy (OM), wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Batches of cured samples containing 1–3 wt.% silane-modified clay (SMC) were prepared and their thermal/mechanical properties were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile and fracture tests. Improvements on storage modulus, Young’s modulus and fracture toughness were achieved with incorporation of SMC clay. The fracture surfaces of the nanocomposites were imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the toughening mechanisms.