Simultaneous improvement in strength, toughness, and thermal stability of epoxy/halloysite nanotubes composites by interfacial modification

Abstract

ABSTRACT This work investigated the effect of silane modification of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) on the mechanical properties of epoxy/HNTs nanocomposites. Three kinds of silane coupling agents, including 3‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPS), (3‐glycidyloxypropyl)‐trimethoxysilane (GPTMS), and octyltriethoxysilane (OTES), were employed. It was shown that the modified HNTs exhibited a better dispersion in the epoxy matrix compared with pristine one. Because of strong interfacial interaction between AEAPS modified HNTs and the epoxy matrix, the nanocomposites exhibited the highest glass transition temperature and modulus among all the samples. On the other hand, AEAPS and GPTMS modified HNTs/epoxy nanocomposites showed enhanced tensile strength and toughness. The toughing mechanisms were identified by the SEM micrographs of the fracture surfaces of the different kinds of samples. In this study, simultaneous enhancement of strength, toughness, and thermal stability of epoxy by the modified HNTs provides a novel approach to produce high‐performance thermosets. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 43249.