Journal des sciences et de l'ingénierie des matériaux

Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Mechanical Properties of Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol-A

Abstract

Mohan AC and Renjanadevi B

This study reports on the synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and examines the performance of polymer nanocomposites fabricated using ZnO dispersed in polymer host matrices. The polymer matrix used was an epoxy based thermosetting polymer known as Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol-A(DGEBA). Zinc oxide nano particles were prepared by precipitation method using Poly Vinyl Alcohol as the surface modifier. It was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). And the average particle size has been found to be 25 nm. The main objective of this study is to investigate the simultaneous effect of the additive ZnO nanoparticles and curing agent on the curing kinetics, mechanical and morphological properties of Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A system. The mechanical properties of epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A and Zinc Oxide were also investigated and improved mechanical properties were obtained for epoxy resin with 2% filler concentration.