Epoxy‐silica nanocomposites: Preparation, experimental characterization, and modeling

Silica nanoparticles having different sizes were obtained by the sol‐gel process and characterized. The prepared nanoparticles were subsequently used as reinforcing fillers to prepare epoxy‐based composites with a silica content ranging from 1 to 5 wt %. SEM analysis and tensile tests carried out on the silica‐epoxy nanocomposites indicated the absence of particle aggregation and a reinforcing effect in terms of increased elastic modulus. Mechanical properties were also modeled by using a finite element code able to construct a numerical model from a microstructural image of the material. A more reliable model was prepared by considering the presence of an interphase layer surrounding the particles with intermediate elastic properties between the epoxy and the inclusions and a characteristic size proportional to the particle radius.