Influence of clay concentration on the morphology and properties of clay-epoxy nanocomposites prepared by in-situ polymerization under ultrasonication

To investigate the effect of clay concentration on the structures and properties of bisphenol-A epoxy/nanoclay composites, three composites with organoclay concentrations of 2.5wt%, 5wt%, and 7.5wt% of the epoxy resin were prepared by in-situ polymerization under mechanical stirring followed by ultrasonic treatment. The clay aggregates on micro-scale indicate the absence of fully exfoliated nanocomposites. The layer space decreases with the increase of clay concentration, which suggests that the exfoliation would be constrained if more clay is added as the ultrasonic force is exerted. The thermal decomposition temperature remains almost unchanged with the increase of clay concentration. The glass transition temperature of the composites decreases slightly with the increase of clay concentration, whereas the storage modulus increases with the increase of clay concentration.