Surface Modified Clay Reinforced Silicon Incorporated Epoxy Hybrid Nanocomposites: Thermal, Mechanical, and Morphological Properties

The silicon-containing epoxy/clay nanocomposites were developed by incorporating the surface-modified MMT clay upto 7wt% into Si-epoxy resin. The surface of the montmorillonite (MMT) clay was modified with two surface modifiers namely cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (γ-APS). The surface modified clay reinforced Si-epoxy composites were developed in the form of castings, and were characterized for their thermal and mechanical properties. Thermal behaviour of the composites was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Mechanical properties were studied as per ASTM standards. Data result from the different studies, it is inferred that the surface modified clay reinforced Si-epoxy composites exhibit lower Tg than that of neat epoxy matrix (127°C <165°C). The decomposition temperature for 60% weight loss of clay reinforced Si-epoxy composites is 674–823°C which is higher when compared to that of neat epoxy matrix. For 5wt% clay reinforced Si-epoxy composites, the values of tensile, flexural and impact strength are increased to 26%, 21% and 29% respectively. The storage modulus (E’) is increased from 5932 to 6308 MPa for clay reinforced Si-epoxy resin. XRD analysis confirmed the well-dispersed exfoliated nanocomposites structure.