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 JF - Polymers 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-476040 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11020235 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 - 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 JF - Polymer 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-476050 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2018.12.054 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 -