Nanofilled and Nanoporous Epoxies: Processing Routes, Size-Scale Transitions, and Mechanical Properties

There are many routes to the implantation of nano-scaled fillers or pores in polymers, but the baseline impact of the neat material properties on processing and the resulting mechanical properties are poorly understood. Two systems are examined here: high-modulus fillers in epoxies, and porous epoxies templated via phase-separation of a removable small molecule. In the filled systems, we utilize alumina and nickel-fillers, with and without surface treatments, to examine both the rheological impact of high volume fractions of filler as the size scale decreases, and the mechanical properties in the cured system, focusing on fracture mechanisms and toughness. In the porous systems, proper selection of the small molecule chemistry and volume fraction leads to spherical pores in the cured epoxy on a size scale ranging from microns to nanometers.

Acknowledgement: Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.