B.T Marouf - Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
R.A Pearson - Center for Polymer Science and Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania, United States
R Bagheri - Polymeric Material Research Group, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

The aims of this paper were to investigate adhesion property between nano-layered filler and the polymer matrix using a combination of experimental and micromechanical models and the changes in yield strength and stiffness of a layered silicate-filled epoxy nanocomposite. The results obtained indicated that addition of intercalated layered silicate particles increased Young’s modulus and yield strength of the epoxy resin, although the increases in stiffness and yield strength are modest, 30% and 4%, respectively. In addition, experimental results were compared with predictive stiffening and strengthening models. The rule of mixtures provided an upper bound for the modulus in these materials, while the Halpin-Tsai model provided a lower bound at low filler contents. The strengthening model used suggested the possibility of presence of a relatively modest adhesion between the intercalated layered silicate and epoxy resin rather than weak adhesion in the intercalated systems.

Micromechanical Models,Yielding,Stiffness,Intercalation,Layered Silicate,Epoxy