Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Epoxy Composites Containing Zirconium Oxide Impregnated Halloysite Nanotubes

Abstract

Liquid epoxy resins have received much attention from both academia and the chemical industry as eco-friendly volatile organic compound (VOC)-free alternatives for applications in coatings and adhesives, especially in those used in households. Epoxy resins show high chemical resistance and high creep resistance. However, due to their brittleness and lack of thermal stability, additional fillers are needed for improving the mechanical and thermal properties. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally abundant, inexpensive, and eco-friendly clay minerals that are known to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy composites after suitable surface modification. Zirconium is well known for its high resistance to heat and wear. In this work, zirconium oxide-impregnated HNTs (Zr/HNTs) were added to epoxy resins to obtain epoxy composites with improved mechanical and thermal properties. Zr/HNTs were characterized by field-emission transmission electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Changes in the thermal properties of the epoxy composites were characterized by thermo mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Furthermore, flexural properties of the composites were analyzed using a universal testing machine.

Sputtering Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) Coatings: A Critical Review on Process Improvement and Market Trend Demands

“…Machining tools are probably one of the most exigent applications, which require characteristics, such as hardness at elevated temperatures, high abrasion resistance, chemical stability, toughness, and stiffness [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. In addition, PVD is also able to produce coatings with excellent adhesion, homogeneous layers, designed structures, graduated properties, controlled morphology, high diversity of materials and properties, among others [46][47][48][49][50].…”

Field Modeling the Impact of Cracks on the Electroconductivity of Thin-Film Textronic Structures

“…Physical vacuum deposition is used primarily when a high deposition index is required for a high-quality thin layer. Using PVD technology, it is possible to produce coatings with excellent quality adhesion, homogeneous layers, and designed structures, as well as layers with variable properties and controlled morphology [16][17][18][19][20][21]. This technology has many functional applications, such as for coating tools, decorative elements, optical enhancements, forms, matrixes, and blades, to name but a few of their current applications [22][23][24][25].…”

Core/Shell Gel Beads with Embedded Halloysite Nanotubes for Controlled Drug Release

“…This different charge, due to the chemical composition, allows for selective functionalization, exploiting both the covalent and electrostatic interactions of each surface with other oppositely charged species: Drug molecules, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, surfactants and so on [27][28][29]. All these features, and also considering that they are low cost, eco-and biocompatible materials [30], make HNTs suitable for designing hybrid materials for waste water remediation [31][32][33][34][35], cultural heritage treatment [36,37], biotechnological applications [38][39][40][41][42][43][44], and packaging [45][46][47][48][49][50].…”