Evaluation of nanoalumina and nanosilica particle toughened high glass-transition temperature epoxy for liquid composite molding processes. (May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Louis, Bryan Michael; Klunker, Florian; Ermanni, Paolo A
• Is Part Of: Journal of composite materials. Volume 50:Number 11(2016)
• Page Start: 1533
• Page End: 1545
• Publication Date: 2016-05
• Subjects: Nanoalumina -- nanosilica -- fracture toughening -- high glass-transition temperature (Tg) epoxy -- composite -- liquid composite molding (LCM); Composite materials -- Periodicals; Composites -- Périodiques; 620.118
• DOI: 10.1177/0021998315594680
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9983

Abstract

In this study, nanoalumina (Al2 O3 ) and nanosilica (SiO2 ) particles are evaluated as tougheners for a high glass-transition temperature (Tg) epoxy system in correlation with liquid composite molding (LCM) processability. The aim of this paper is to directly compare the effectiveness of nanoalumina and nanosilica of the same nominal particle size as epoxy tougheners on the same neat resin system. The epoxy resin system used in this study was Dow D.E.R. 330 amine cured epoxy with a Tg of 150℃. Both particle types are observed to be Tg neutral and increase fracture toughness of the base epoxy system. Between the two particle types, nanoalumina is found to be more effective than nanosilica in terms of achievable fracture toughness at a given particle loading. As resin viscosity increases with particle addition, the addition of fewer particles with the use of nanoalumina is also beneficial to LCM processing where a lower viscosity is preferable.