Investigation of impact behavior of epoxy reinforced with nanometer- and micrometer-sized silicon carbide particles

Abstract

The effects of particle size and silane treatment on the impact strength are experimentally evaluated for epoxy reinforced with nanometer- and micrometer-sized SiC particles. These nano and microcomposites are fabricated using two different sizes of SiC particles: 60–100 nm and 2–4 mm in diameter. The weight fraction of particles is fixed at 1.5% and the particles are dispersed using ultrasonication. For the purpose of investigating the effect of particle–matrix adhesion on the failure process, composites are fabricated using both as received and silane treated SiC particles and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane is used as an organofunctional coupling agent to control adhesion properties. Impact energy is measured using Frank IZod impact pendulum instrument. Additionally, fractured surfaces are observed under a scanning electron microscope to investigate particle bonding, particle dispersion, and toughening mechanism. Particle size along with dispersion and bonding are observed to affect the impact strength. It is observed that both the improved particle dispersion and bonding due to silane treatment lead to an increase in impact strength. With regards to particle size, the composites with nanometer-sized SiC particles are having greater impact strength compared to micrometer-sized particles.