• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.12-16
• /
• 2010

In this work, the effect of hydrophobic treated silica on the water absorption, thermal stabilities, and mechanical properties of the epoxy nanocomposites were investigated as a function of the silica content. As filler, fumed silica treated by dimethyldichlorosilane was used. It was found that the silica was well dispersed in the epoxy resins by the melt-mixing method with the addition of a silane coupling agent. The water absorption of the nanocomposites decreased with an increase of the silica content due to the effect of hydrophobic treated silica. The thermal properties, such as thermal degradation temperature, glass transition temperature ($T_g$), and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), of the nanocomposites were improved by the addition of silica. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, that is, the tensile strength and modulus, were enhanced with increasing silica content. This was attributed to the physically strong interaction between silica and epoxy resins.