Properties of organic/inorganic hybrid clay-like polymers with epoxy groups

Abstract

A new organic/inorganic hybrid layered polymer was synthesized from trialkoxysilane it containing epoxy groups and metal chlorides. This polymer is nanocomposite; it consists of an inorganic structure similar to phyllosilicate i.e. mica and smectite, and organic side chains with epoxy groups grafted on the Si tetrahedron of clay-like framework through a -Si-C- covalent bond. The polymers were studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance measurement with magic angle spinning (MAS NMR). Powder XRD patterns show that this hybrid phyllosilicate with epoxide swelled with epoxy polymer and curing agent. A hybrid phyllosilicate/epoxy resin nanocomposite was also prepared from the hybrid silicate with epoxide, tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM), and curing agent. In dynamic mechanical analysis measurements of this system, the tensile modulus E' has increased over the whole range of measured temperature, and Tg became higher than base resin system without the hybrid silicate. This result suggests that it has been reinforced with -Si-C- covalent bonds and that it improved the mechanical property of the epoxy resin in high temperature.