Silver-filled epoxy composites: effect of hybrid and silane treatment on thermal properties

• Published in: Polymer bulletin (Berlin, Germany) Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 311 - 323
• Main Authors: Suriati, G., Mariatti, M., Azizan, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Composite materials; Composites; Ethanol; Exact sciences and technology; Fillers; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Heat treatment; Hybrid composites; Mechanical properties; Nanoparticles; Organic Chemistry; Original Paper; Physical Chemistry; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Polymer Sciences; Silver; Soft and Granular Matter; Storage modulus; Technology of polymers; Temperature; Thermal expansion; Thermal stability; Thermodynamic properties; Polymer–matrix composites (PMCs); Thermal properties; Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA); Scanning electron microscopy (SEM); Particle size; Storage modulus; Epoxy resin; Organic silane; Experimental study; Metal particle; Composite material; Thermal stability; Surface treatment; Coupling agent; Silver; Concentration effect; Thermal expansion coefficient; Rheological properties
• ISSN: 0170-0839; 1436-2449
• DOI: 10.1007/s00289-012-0808-9

The combination effects of hybrid nano–micron fillers and filler treatment on the thermal properties of silver-filled epoxy composites are experimentally evaluated. These hybrid composites are fabricated using two different sizes and shapes of silver particles, namely 80 nm with spherical shape and 4–8 μm with flaky shape. In this study, the ratio of silver flakes to silver nanoparticles was varied from 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 at a fixed silver loading of 6 vol.%. The silver fillers are treated with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (3AMPTES) at different concentrations of 5, 10, and 30 wt%. The hybrid micro:nano at 50:50 shows the highest storage modulus and the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) value compared with other ratios. The silver fillers with 10 wt% of 3AMPTES show improvement in storage modulus, CTE, and thermal stability compared with untreated and further increasing of 3AMPTES at 30 wt% did not show any significant improvement.