Behavior of epoxy composite resins in environments at high moisture content

Abstract

Three different organo-modified clays have been incorporated by sonication into a high performance epoxy resin before the cross-linking reaction. The X-ray analysis indicated that, depending on the organoclay type, partially exfoliated and partially intercalated composites have been obtained. As shown by the DSC analysis, the clay addition seems to interact with the cross-linking reaction. The incorporation of organoclay into epoxy increased free volume and micro-voids in the samples. Sorption of water in the composite samples resulted higher than that of the pristine resin, whereas the diffusion coefficient is significantly lower. The lower value of diffusion makes the permeability at ambient conditions lower than the pristine resin. The elastic modulus of the composite sample results higher than that of the pristine resin, especially in the temperature region around the glass transition. The presence of organoclay in epoxy matrix decreased the glass transition temperature, whether the nanocomposites were in a dry or wet condition.