Investigating the property profile of polyamide–alumina nanocomposite materials

Transparent sol–gel-derived nanocomposites were prepared by incorporating an alumina network into a polyamide matrix. Different amounts of aluminum butoxide were hydrolyzed and condensed to produce the alumina network. Thin composite films were characterized in terms of their optical, morphological, mechanical and thermomechanical properties. Tensile modulus, stress at both yield and break points, improved for alumina loadings of 5–10 wt.%. The glass transition temperature increased to 140 °C for nanocomposites containing 15 wt.% alumina. Scanning electron microscopy investigations indicated a uniform distribution of alumina in the polyamide matrix.