Morphology and Viscoelasticity of Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Nanocomposite

Abstract

Two different processes were used to manufacture epoxy/silica hybrid materials. Observations by AFM, TEM, and Raman spectroscopy demonstrated different silica structures, depending on the hybrid process. DMTA results indicated that the “sequentially” hybridised sample had a new glass transition at higher temperatures, which could be attributed to the physical interaction between the silica chain and the epoxy resin. The dynamic modulus was significantly improved and depended only on the silica content, not on the silica structure nor the aging.