E-beam-cured layered-silicate and spherical silica epoxy nanocomposites

This research demonstrates that an epoxy nanocomposite can be made through electron beam (e-beam) curing. The nanofillers can be two-dimensional (layered-silicate) and zero-dimensional (spherical silica). Both the spherical silica epoxy nanocomposite and the layered-silicate epoxy nanocomposite can be cured to a high degree of curing. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering of the e-beam-cured layered-silicate epoxy nanocomposites demonstrate the intercalated nanostructure or combination of exfoliated and intercalated nanostructure. The TEM images show that the spherical silica epoxy nanocomposite has the morphology of homogeneous dispersion of aggregates of silica nanoparticles. The aggregate size is ∼ 100 nm. The dynamic mechanical analysis shows that the storage modulus of the spherical silica nanocomposite has been improved, and the glass transition temperature can be very high (∼ 175°C). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007