Synthesis and mechanical properties of epoxy/clay nanocomposites

Synthesis and mechanical properties of epoxy/clay nanocomposites are studied. It is found that the affinity between the organo-clay and epoxy resin is very good and the organo-clay is easy to be intercalated by epoxy resin with or without solvent. By direct or solution mixing, a stable and homogeneous epoxy/clay intercalated hybrid can be obtained, in which the basal spacing of clay increases to about 3.7 nm. Using two different kinds of organo-clay, both exfoliated and intercalated epoxy/clay nanocomposites are achieved. In the former case, the clay is exfoliated completely and there is no trace of X-ray diffraction peaks while in the latter case the clay retains its previous structure and strong X-ray diffraction peaks remain. The test results show that the mechanical properties of the exfoliated nanocomposite are better than those of the intercalated nanocomposite of the same compound. But even in the exfoliated nanocomposites, the mechanical properties of epoxy resin are not improved magnificently as in the case of thermal plastic.