Thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy composites reinforced by a natural hydrophobic sand

    Authors

    G. Sui; S. Jana; A. Salehi-Khojin; S. Neema; W. H. Zhong; H. Chen;Q. Hu

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Appl. Polym. Sci.

    Keywords

    sand particle; epoxy resin; composites; thermal property; flexural; property; WEAR BEHAVIOR; NANOCOMPOSITES; FIBER; CLAY; NANOPARTICLES; COMPRESSION; FABRICATION; NANOFIBERS; PARTICLES; CERAMICS; Polymer Science

    Abstract

    If a low weight percentage of crude fine fillers can improve properties of polymer materials directly without complicated chemical treatment process involved, it will be significant for many industrial applications. Our previous study indicated that a kind of Cancun natural sand could be an effective filler material for polymer composites. In this current work, the epoxy composites reinforced by this kind of natural sand particles were prepared and thermal and mechanical properties of the composites containing up to 5 wt% of the sand particles were characterized. Results showed that the highest flexural strength appears in the epoxy composite containing 1 wt% sand particles. A damage model was used to interpret the flexural properties, which showed an acceptable agreement with the experimental results. The glass transition temperature, high temperature storage modulus, and dimensional stability of the sand/epoxy composites monotonically increased with the addition of the sand particles. The sand particle/epoxy composites also displayed a noticeable enhancement in thermal conductivity. Theoretical analysis showed that in addition to conduction, other heat transport mechanisms played roles in the improved heat transmission through the composites. As a natural porous micron-scale material, Cancun sand has the potential for applications in cost-effective composites with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Applied Polymer Science

    Volume

    109

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2008

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    247

    Last Page

    255

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000255626700032

    ISSN

    0021-8995

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