Predicting the Temperature‐Dependent Storage Modulus of Quartz‐Dispersed Polyethylene Glycol Composites Considering the Interphase Region

In this paper, a temperature‐dependent storage modulus model for quartz‐dispersed polyethylene glycol (PEG) composites is presented. The model is developed by reinterpreting the empirical filler parameter in the Hilmi model as the reinforcement factor of the interphase‐modified Halpin–Tsai model, explicitly linking measurable microstructural quantities — filler particle radius R, interphase thickness R i , and interphase modulus E i — to the predicted composite storage modulus. Storage modulus data were obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests in three‐point bending mode over a temperature range encompassing the glass transition region of PEG, with varying filler compositions, i.e., 0, 5, 10, and 20 wt.%. The predictions were compared with experimental data to evaluate the ability of the proposed model to capture the combined effects of temperature and filler content. Several model parameters were determined from experimental measurements and values reported in the literature. The results demonstrate good agreement between the model predictions and the temperature‐ and filler‐dependent trends of the storage modulus for low filler compositions. By considering the role of the interphase in the micromechanics formulation, this model provides a more representative predictive framework for analyzing the mechanical behavior of quartz‐dispersed PEG composites across a range of temperature and composition conditions.