Structures and properties of nanocomposites based on a cured cycloaliphatic epoxy resin

The effect of nanoparticles on glass-transition temperature T (g) and the elastic modulus of a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin cured with methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride is theoretically analyzed. The analysis was performed with allowance for the following factors: the chemical structure of the polymer, the chemical structures of the nanoparticles and their surfaces if they are modified, the concentrations and shapes of nanoparticles (spherical, plate, cylindrical), the concentration of functional groups on the surfaces of nanoparticles, the energy of intermolecular interaction between a polymer and a nanoparticle, and the possibility of chemical interaction between a polymer and the surfaces of nanoparticles. The most pronounced effect on T (g) is exerted by cylindical nanotubes, whose surfaces are modified with OH groups, which give rise to hydrogen bonding. The least effect is exerted by spherical nanoparticles. After the introduction of SiO2 nanoparticles, the elastic moduli of nanocomposites increase by a factor of 1.15 at an amount of nanoparticles up to 20%.