Study on Morphology and Mechanical Properties of High-functional Epoxy Based Clay Nanocomposites

Morphology and mechanical properties of clay/high-functional epoxy nanocomposites are investigated. An intercalated morphology is always observed for clay loadings ≤5 wt %. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composites decreases with the clay loading, and the impact strength increases first by 10% at 2 wt% clay loading, and is followed by a dramatic decline, while the flexural strength decreases in all cases.