Influence of Carbon Nanoparticles on Thermogravimetric Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites

The thermomechanical properties and thermal stability of polymer nanocomposites, based on epoxy resin (ER) as matrix, were investigated by Thermogravimetric/Differential Thermal Analysis (TGA/DTA) and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). For comparison, carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or carbon black (CB) nanoparticles were used as filler. Our interest was focussed on the effect of different filler on the thermomechanical properties, degradation behavior and thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The dependence of the thermal properties (i.e. weight loss rate, decomposition temperature, residual mass) of the nanocomposites is associated with the filler content. The addition of carbon nanofillers enhances, generally, the thermal behavior of the epoxy matrix. The dispersion of nanoparticles and the interactions between them and the epoxy matrix seem to play an important role on the thermal properties and molecular dynamics mechanisms, especially for higher filler concentrations.