Investigation of mesoporous silica coated multi-wall carbon nanotubes on the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites

In this study, mesoporous silica coated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs@MS) were synthesized using sodium silicate as the silica source and gelatin as the surface-activation agent. The effects of epoxy-based nanocomposites reinforced with CNTs@MS on the mechanical and thermal properties are characterized extensively using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA) and thermal conductivity measurement, respectively. These results show that the mesoporous silica was integral coated on the CNTs. In addition, the storage modulus, glass transition temperature and thermal conductivity increased along with the amount of CNTs@MS (0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 wt.%). The coefficient of thermal expansion decreased gradually, because the dipole-dipole interactions between the silica and epoxy polymer and confinement space of the mesoporous structure reduced the thermal mobility of the epoxy polymer inside the mesopore space.