Electrical Characteristics of Epoxy/nanoclay Nanodielectric Systems

The field of nanocomposites is a rapidly growing area of interest as more and more materials appear with exciting properties and novel applications. Nanocomposites based on clay systems have been widely investigated, where they have been shown to exhibit improved mechanical, thermal, optical and physicochemical properties. It is therefore of no surprise that the electrical properties of such nanocomposites are of interest given the wide ranging applications of dielectrics as insulators in much of the high voltage industry. This paper studies a range of related nanocomposities based upon a commercial epoxy resin system. We report the impact of processing and chemical functionalization on the rheological and electrical characteristics of organo-modified inorganic nanofillers, namely boehmite and montmorillonite, in an epoxy matrix.