Investigation of Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Silica Nanofiber Reinforced Epoxy Nanocomposites Prepared by a New Dispersion Method

The present study investigates the effect of silica nanofibers addition on mechanical and morphological properties of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. A new approach is used to acquire cluster free uniform dispersion of nanofibers in the polymer matrix by applying ultrasonic waves and shear force generated by mechanical agitator simultaneously. Agglomerates of silica nanofibers are hit repeatedly by ultrasonic waves as a result of placing ultrasonic probe in the flow path of the mixture generated by axial-flow impeller. Tensile testing and Scanning Electron Microscopy are used to investigate mechanical and morphological properties of specimens. The results confirm homogeneous dispersion of nanofibers in epoxy and consequently better tensile properties. Therefore, this work provides a simple approach to enhance mechanical properties of epoxy resin by incorporating silica nanofibers and simultaneous application of ultrasonic waves and shear force to achieve better dispersion of nanofibers.

کلیدواژه ها:

Epoxy resin ، Silica nanofiber ، Nanocomposites ، Mechanical properties