Effect of the incorporation of nanoclays on curing and structure of epoxy based nanocomposites

ELISABETH PENOFF; ROMINA OLLIER; MATIAS LANFRANCONI; VERA ALVAREZ

Buenos Aires

Simposio; X Simposio Argentino de Polímeros (SAP2013); 2013

Nanoclays are able to improve the barrier, mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy resins even at low contents. Moreover, the improvement of these properties strongly depends on the level of dispersion of clay in the polymeric matrix. However, little is understood about the influence of these fillers in the formation of the polymer network or the effect on the reaction kinetics, the degree of cure and the modification of the network structure. Both increases and decreases in the rate of reaction and the glass transition temperature have been reported in the literature with the incorporation of reinforcements in polymer networks. This work aims to elucidate the causes that lead to the nanoclays to alter the kinetics and chemical structure of polymer nanocomposites based on epoxy resins.