Effect of Adhesion Between Submicron Filler Particles and a Polymeric Matrix on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy-Resin-Based Compositions

Abstract

The structure and mechanical properties of composites based on an ED-20 epoxy resin, modified with ZnO and ZnO particles untreated or encapsulated in polystyrene, were studied. It is shown that the introduction of polystyrene-encapsulated ZnO submicroparticles into the epoxy resin changed its supramolecular structure in comparison with that of the resin filled with untreated ones. It was established that the presence of shell on the filler particles affected the mechanical properties of the polymer composites — their hardness increased by 22.5% and elastic modulus by 13%.