Synthesis, spectral, thermal studies and dielectric behavior of functionalized TiO2-loaded diglycidyl epoxy nanocomposite film

Abstract

The dielectric and thermal behavior of 4-aminobutyltriethoxysilane-functionalized TiO2 nanoparticle (ABTES-TiO2 NPs)-loaded diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA-GY260) nanocomposites was chosen for investigation. The synthesized TiO2-ABTES-DGEBA nanocomposite films were distinguished using FT-IR spectra to access the chemical bonding between fillers and epoxy resin. SEM and AFM analysis facilitated access to the homogeneously dispersed nanoparticles in epoxy matrix. Triethylenetetramine (TEPA), also denoted as tetrene, is utilized as a curing agent. TGA and DSC analysis are used to investigate the thermal behavior of epoxy nanocomposite samples. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters were computed using Coats–Redfern method. There is an increase in thermal behavior with an increase in loading concentrations. The dielectric measurements were studied in the frequency range from 50 to 5 × 106 Hz and at temperatures 30, 60 and 120 °C, which exhibited outstanding results. The variation in dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC conductivity makes ABTES-TiO2-loaded epoxy nanocomposites is the most compatible for high-performance electrical and thermal applications. The highlight of the work is the temperature and frequency that are especially more pronounced in 5%-TiO2-ABTES-DGEBA and 7%-TiO2-ABTES-DGEBA samples. The complete analysis put forward that loading epoxy resins with TiO2-ABTES augment the electrical and thermal properties of epoxy resin.