Assessing the crosslinking behavior of epoxy-based nanocomposites containing silica nanoparticles modified by highly-branched amine groups
Subject Areas :Zahra Hatami Ramsheh 1 , Khadijeh Didehban 2 , Mohamad Reza Saeb 3
1 - Department of Chemistry, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Chemistry, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Resin and Additives, Institute for Color Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Epoxy, Nanosilica, Crosslinking, Surface modification, Nanocomposite.,
Abstract :
The aim of this research was to study the effect of incorporation of functionalized silica nanoparticles on the curing behavior of the epoxy-based nanocomposites. Thus, first nanosilica was prepared by using Stober method and then modified by attaching surface hydroxyl groups to silane. Glutardialdehyde was also attached as well. It was followed by attachment of highly branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) to the surface of the nanoparticles. The resulting structures were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that spherical silica nanoparticles with size of 50 (bare) and 70 nm (surface-modified) were successfully synthesized. The amine and hydroxyl groups in modified silica structures actively participated in curing process and facilitated the curing mechanism of epoxy/amine system. Addition of silane-modified nanoparticles increased the activation energy, while application of PEI-modified nanosilica improved the density of the epoxy network. Due to the increase of viscosity of the system, the activation energy of epoxy system was also increased. Addition of 0.1 wt.% pure and surface-modified nanosilica also increased the glass transition temperature values from 82 to 84.7 ºC for PEI-modified silica nanoparticles. This study showed that modified silica nanoparticles could provide significant improvement in thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy nanocomposites. These findings showed the improvement of the baking processes and increase the efficiency of nanocomposite materials.
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