DGEBA Epoxy Nano Composite: A Study on Mechanical Properties Characterization

Epoxy/CaCO3 nano composites were prepared by mechanical mixing of DGEBA epoxy resin having epoxide equivalent weight (EEW) of 180 g/eq and varying concentrations of nano CaCO3 ranging between 1-10 wt % followed by sonication for 30 min. The prepared Epoxy/nano CaCO3 mixtures were poured into the Teflon mold and subjected to curing at 110C for 1 hr and post curing at 80C for 5 hrs. The prepared nano composite samples were investigated for mechanical properties viz. , tensile strength, elongation-at-break and elastic modulus, impact strength and Shore D hardness. It was observed that the sample containing 5 wt % nano CaCO3 in epoxy matrix showed maximum tensile strength, elongation-at-break, the impact strength and hardness as compared to other samples and neat epoxy matrix. The samples were also investigated for curing mechanism by FTIR and DSC, for morphology by SEM.