Unmodified Silica Nanoparticles Enhance Mechanical Properties and Welding Ability of Epoxy Thermosets with Tunable Vitrimer Matrix.

ABSTRACT: Epoxy/silica thermosets with tunable matrix (vitrimers) were prepared by thermal curing of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) in the presence of a hardener-4-methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA), a transesterification catalyst-zinc acetylacetonate (ZAA), and 10-15 nm spherical silica nanoparticles. The properties of the resulting material were studied by tensile testing, thermomechanical and dynamic mechanical analysis. It is shown that at room temperature the introduction of 5-10 wt% of silica nanoparticles in the vitrimer matrix strengthens the material leading to the increase of the elastic modulus by 44% and the tensile stress by 25%. Simultaneously, nanoparticles enhance the dimensional stability of the material since they reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion. At the

SUBMITTER: Barabanova AI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8467415 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature