Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Modified Georgian and Brazilian Clay Infused Biobased Epoxy Nanocomposites

This study focuses on the preparation and characterization of nanocomposite system with bio-based epoxy resin (Super SAP 100/1000, contains 37% bio-based carbon content) and natural clays including Georgian clay and Brazilian clay. Georgian clay was surface modified using an ultrasound processing in presence of Decalin. Brazilian clay was modified to organophilic bentonite using quaternary ammonium salts. The resulting nano clay particles were characterized using XRD and TEM to confirm the particle size reduction and uniform distribution. The as-fabricated nanocomposites were characterized using flexure, DMA, TMA and TGA. The flexure analysis showed that the modified clay composites have significant improvement in strength (23–38%) and modulus (28–37%). Delayed thermal degradation was observed from TGA analysis which showed that the major degradation temperatures improved from 7°-25°C. DMA and TMA analysis showed improvements in storage moduli (4–6%) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) (6–64%), respectively. The notable improvement in thermal and mechanical properties suggested the effective dispersion and the high degree of polymer particle interaction. The bio based content present in the Super Sap 100/1000 acts as plasticizer resulting in the extensive ductility of the polymer.