Effects of spherical silica on the properties of an epoxy resin system

Abstract

AbstractThe spherical silica powders were prepared by using an oxygen–acetylene flame method. After spheroidization, a scanning electron microscope investigation revealed that the spheroidization efficiency of the powder was nearly 100%, XRD patterns indicated that the raw crystal silica became amorphous silica. In this study, composites of spherical silica and an epoxy resin were prepared with a homogenizer, followed by a stepwise thermal curing process. The thermal stability and thermal degradation behavior of the composites were studied by a thermogravimetric analyzer. Meanwhile, the effects of spherical silica powder on dynamic mechanical, coefficient of thermal expansion, and mechanical properties of epoxy/silica composites were also investigated. The initial decomposition temperature and mechanical properties increased significantly after adding the spherical silica into the composite. The maximum properties of thermal stability and mechanical properties were observed when spherical silica accounted for 30% of the system. The thermal expansion had been significantly reduced by the addition of silica. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011