Preparation and Properties of Polyester-Based Nanocomposite Gel Coat System

Abstract

Nanocomposite gel coat system is prepared using unsaturated polyester resin with aerosil powder,CaCO3, and organoclay. The influence of organoclay addition on mechanical and water barrier properties of gel coat system is studied for different amount (1, 2, and 3 wt%) of organoclay. The nanolevel incorporation of organoclay improves the mechanical and water barrier properties of nanocomposite gel coat system. The nanocomposite gel coat system exhibits 55%improvement in tensile modulus and 25%improvement in flexural modulus. There is a 30%improvement in impact property of nanocomposite gel coat system. The dynamic mechanical analysis shows a slight increase in glass transition temperature for nanocomposite gel coat system.