Dynamic mechanical behaviour of polyamide 11/Barium titanate ferroelectric composites

Dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile test have been used to characterize the mechanical behaviour of hybrid composites. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is the submicron filler and polyamide 11 (PA 11) the matrix. The influence of volume fraction and particles size (ranging from 100 nm to 700 nm) of the inorganic phase on the composites mechanical properties have been checked. BaTiO3 dispersion in the matrix increases the tensile modulus of the composites and an evolution from ductile to fragile is observed for volume fractions above 12 vol%. The volume fraction dependence of the glassy shear modulus is well described by the Hashin and Shtrikman model indicative of an interaction lack between the organic and inorganic phases. The decrease of the glassy shear modulus with the filler size has been associated with the existence of softer organic/inorganic interfaces, in agreement with the previous hypothesis. The non linear variation of the rubbery modulus versus particles content is well described by the rubber elasticity model applied to a hydrogen bond network. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.