TY - JOUR A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - The effect of boehmite nanoparticles (gamma‐AlOOH) on nanomechanical and thermomechanical properties correlated to crosslinking density of epoxy N2 - We show that complex physical and chemical interactions between boehmite nanoparticles and epoxy drastically affect matrix properties, which in the future will provide tuning of material properties for further optimization in applications from automotive to aerospace. We utilize intermodulation atomic force microscopy (ImAFM) for probing local stiffness of both particles and polymer matrix. Stiff particles are expected to increase total stiffness of nanocomposites and the stiffness of polymer should remain unchanged. However, ImAFM revealed that stiffness of matrix in epoxy/boehmite nanocomposite is significantly higher than unfilled epoxy. The stiffening effect of the boehmite on epoxy also depends on the particle concentration. To understand the mechanism behind property alteration induced by boehmite nanoparticles, network architecture is investigated using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). It was revealed that although with 15 wt% boehmite nanoparticles the modulus at glassy state increases, crosslinking density of epoxy for this composition is drastically low. KW - Crosslinking density KW - Epoxy KW - Intermodulation KW - Atomic force microscopy KW - Nanomechanical properties KW - Boehmite nanoparticles PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-476050 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 164 SP - 174 EP - 182 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-47605 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Elert, Anna Maria A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Agudo Jácome, Leonardo A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Short- and long-range mechanical and chemical interphases caused by interaction of Boehmite (γ-AlOOH) with anhydride-cured epoxy resins N2 - Understanding the interaction between boehmite and epoxy and the formation of their interphases with different mechanical and chemical structures is crucial to predict and optimize the properties of epoxy-boehmite nanocomposites. Probing the interfacial properties with atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based methods, especially particle-matrix long-range interactions, is challenging. This is due to size limitations of various analytical methods in resolving nanoparticles and their interphases, the overlap of interphases, and the effect of buried particles that prevent the accurate interphase property measurement. Here, we develop a layered model system in which the epoxy is cured in contact with a thin layer of hydrothermally synthesized boehmite. Different microscopy methods are employed to evaluate the interfacial properties. With intermodulation atomic force microscopy (ImAFM) and amplitude dependence force spectroscopy (ADFS), which contain information about stiffness, electrostatic, and van der Waals forces, a soft interphase was detected between the epoxy and boehmite. Surface potential maps obtained by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) revealed another interphase about one order of magnitude larger than the mechanical interphase. The AFM-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) technique reveals that the soft interphase consists of unreacted curing agent. The long-range electrical interphase is attributed to the chemical alteration of the bulk epoxy and the formation of new absorption bands. KW - Nanocomposites KW - Interphase KW - Intermodulation AFM KW - Electron microscopy KW - Infrared nano AFM PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-483672 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/6/853/htm SN - 2079-4991 VL - 9 IS - 6 SP - 853, 1 EP - 20 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-48367 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Platz, D. A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Insights into Nano-Scale Physical and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy/Boehmite Nanocomposite Using Different AFM Modes N2 - Understanding the interaction between nanoparticles and the matrix and the properties of interphase is crucial to predict the macroscopic properties of a nanocomposite system. Here, we investigate the interaction between boehmite nanoparticles (BNPs) and epoxy using different atomic force microscopy (AFM) approaches. We demonstrate benefits of using multifrequency intermodulation AFM (ImAFM) to obtain information about conservative, dissipative and van der Waals tip-surface forces and probing local properties of nanoparticles, matrix and the interphase. We utilize scanning kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to probe surface potential as a tool to visualize material contrast with a physical parameter, which is independent from the mechanics of the surface. Combining the information from ImAFM stiffness and SKPM surface potential results in a precise characterization of interfacial region, demonstrating that the interphase is softer than epoxy and boehmite nanoparticles. Further, we investigated the effect of boehmite nanoparticles on the bulk properties of epoxy matrix. ImAFM stiffness maps revealed the significant stiffening effect of boehmite nanoparticles on anhydride-cured epoxy matrix. The energy Dissipation of epoxy Matrix locally measured by ImAFM shows a considerable increase compared to that of neat epoxy. These measurements suggest a substantial alteration of epoxy structure induced by the presence of boehmite. KW - Nanomechanics KW - Intermodulation-AFM KW - Interphase KW - Boehmite KW - Epoxy PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-476040 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 11 IS - 2 SP - 235, 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-47604 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Topolniak, Ievgeniia A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Pfeifer, Dietmar A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Boehmite Nanofillers in Epoxy Oligosiloxane Resins: Influencing the Curing Process by Complex Physical and Chemical Interactions N2 - In this work, a novel boehmite (BA)-embedded organic/inorganic nanocomposite coating based on cycloaliphatic epoxy oligosiloxane (CEOS) resin was fabricated applying UV-induced cationic polymerization. The main changes of the material behavior caused by the nanofiller were investigated with regard to its photocuring kinetics, thermal stability, and glass transition. The role of the particle surface was of particular interest, thus, unmodified nanoparticles (HP14) and particles modified with p-toluenesulfonic acid (OS1) were incorporated into a CEOS matrix in the concentration range of 1–10 wt.%. Resulting nanocomposites exhibited improved thermal properties, with the glass transition temperature (Tg) being shifted from 30 °C for unfilled CEOS to 54 °C (2 wt.% HP14) and 73 °C (2 wt.% OS1) for filled CEOS. Additionally, TGA analysis showed increased thermal stability of samples filled with nanoparticles. An attractive interaction between boehmite and CEOS matrix influenced the curing. Real-time infrared spectroscopy (RT-IR) experiments demonstrated that the epoxide conversion rate of nanocomposites was slightly increased compared to neat resin. The beneficial role of the BA can be explained by the participation of hydroxyl groups at the particle surface in photopolymerization processes and by the complementary contribution of p-toluenesulfonic acid surface modifier and water molecules introduced into the system with nanoparticles. KW - Real-time infrared spectroscopy KW - Boehmite KW - Nanocomposite KW - Cationic photocuring KW - Cycloaliphatic epoxy oligosiloxane KW - Epoxy conversion degree PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-479628 VL - 12 IS - 9 SP - 1513 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-47962 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -