6.1 Mechanical Properties

Thermoset nanocomposites are novel composite materials, which are resins reinforced with particles or platelets on the nanometre scale. Due to the nanosized particles obtained by chemical and physical dispersion processes, the nanocomposites exhibit markedly improved properties compared with the pure polymer or conventional microscale composites [1 15].

Fillers with high surface area-to-volume ratio have generally been found to give the best balance of properties; thus, the dimensional stability, conductivity, mechanical, thermal and other properties may be modified due to the incorporation of fine filler particles within the thermoset resins. However, the improvements in properties observed with conventionally prepared composites are modest when compared to those that have been established for polymer nanocomposites, especially if compared at equal volume filler content [1]. The addition of nanoscale fillers to polymers can have a dramatic effect on the mechanical properties [1 6] compared to micrometre scale fillers. This may be in large part due to the small size and the large surface area of nanoscale fillers. The development of effective nanocomposites is directly linked to the availability and the properties of the nano-reinforcements, which should be able to be dispersed in a polymeric matrix at a nanoscale level.

In more recent years, considerable emphasis has been placed on studies of nanofillers, particularly organoclays [2 15]. Because of their high surface area-to-volume ratio, nanofillers are found to have a high reinforcing efficiency even at very low concentrations. For example, a large array of improved thermomechanical properties have been attained at very low...