Controversial effects of fumed silica on the curing and thermomechanical properties of epoxy composites

Abstract

The effect of fumed silica on the curing of a trimethylolpropane epoxy resin was investigated by thermal analy- sis methods like Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). The fumed silica used here is a by-product of the silicon and ferrosilicon industry, consisting of micro and nanosized particles. Both the cur- ing reaction and the properties of the obtained composites were affected by the filler content. Different trends were observed for filler contents above and below the 30 wt%. Up to 30 wt%, the behaviour can be explained as a predominantly agglomeration effect. For 30 wt% and higher filler contents, single particles seem to play a more important role. © BME-PT.