TY - CHAP A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Schönhals, Andreas ED - Schönhals, Andreas ED - Szymoniak, Paulina T1 - Epoxy-Based Nanocomposites—What Can Be Learned from Dielectric and Calorimetric Investigations? T2 - Dynamics of Composite Materials N2 - Epoxy-based nanocomposites are promisingmaterials for industrial applications (i.e., aerospace, marine, and automotive industries) due to their extraordinary mechanical and thermal properties. Regardless of the broad field of applications, there is still a considerable need to identify their structure–property relationships. Here, a detailed dielectric and calorimetric (DSC and fast scanning calorimetry) study on different epoxy-based nanocomposites was performed. Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) cured with diethylenetriamine (DETA) was employed as the polymeric matrix, which was reinforced with three diverse nanofillers that exhibit different interaction strengths with the epoxy matrix (halloysite nanotubes, surface modified halloysite nanotubes, and taurine-modified layered double hydroxide). The structure, molecular mobility, and vitrification behavior are discussed in detail, focusing on the intrinsic structural and dynamic heterogeneity, as well as interfacial properties. KW - Nanocomposites KW - Epoxi nanocomposites KW - Dynamics KW - Interphase KW - Ridis amorphous fraction KW - Dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC KW - Temparatur modulated Flash DSC KW - Temperature modulated DSC PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89723-9_11 SP - 335 EP - 367 PB - Springer CY - Cham, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-54566 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kalinka, Gerhard A1 - ElAbshihy, K. T1 - Circumventing boundary effects while characterizing epoxy/copper interphases using nanoindentation JF - Composite Interfaces N2 - Characterization of the size and mechanical properties of interphases is essential when designing multicomponent materials. When nanoindentation is used to investigate the size and mechanical properties of an interphase, a common challenge is that the indenter or the stress zone formed around it are often restricted by the reinforcement, making it difficult to distinguish the mechanical property variations caused by the interphase itself from those caused by the boundary effect. In this work, a testing system was developed that allows determining the indent affected zone and accounting for it in the interphase measurements of an epoxy/Cu system. Using finite element analysis, we confirmed the validity of the proposed system. Nanoindentation was used to investigate the Interphase between copper and two different epoxy systems; amine-cured and anhydride-cured. Nanoindentation results showed that a copper layer that is only 10 nm thick still exhibits a constriction effect on the indentations in its vicinity. The amine-cured epoxy did not show any sign of interphase existence using the introduced method. However, a soft interphase with a thickness of ~1.7 μm was measured on theanhydride-cured epoxy. Furthermore, we show that the proposed system can be used to determine the interphase thickness as well as its relative mechanical properties regardless of the indentation depth. This system can be further used for investigating other polymer/metal interphases to better understand the factors influencing them, thus helping engineer the interphase size and properties to enhance composite performance. KW - Interphase KW - Polymer-metal KW - Epoxy KW - Copper KW - Composites KW - Nanoindentation PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/09276440.2017.1286878 SN - 0927-6440 SN - 1568-5543 VL - 24 IS - 9 SP - 833 EP - 848 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - UK AN - OPUS4-39128 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Elert, Anna Maria A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Studies on interphase formation of cured epoxy resin near boehmite surface N2 - The application of inorganic nanoparticles as reinforcement agent for polymer composites is constantly growing. Improving the performance of the material with desirable properties requires understanding of the interaction between polymer chains and nanoparticles and the properties of the interphase as well. Boehmite, a mineral of aluminum with basic unit of AlO(OH), is a novel and promising nanofiller which leads to enhanced performance of polymer composites. It has been recently reported that boehmite nanoparticles have reinforcing effect on epoxy matrix in carbon-fiber composites. It was primarily assumed that these improvements are due to very high Young’s modulus of boehmite particles. However, in our latest study we presented new values for the Young’s modulus of boehmite much lower than those reported earlier. This brings up the importance of interphase properties, e.g. the crosslink density, which can have the dominant role in the overall material property. Nevertheless, due to resolution limitations of conventional nanoprobing approaches, characterization of the interphase between individual particles and matrix is a challenge. In this study, the main goal is to investigate the interphase of the epoxy/boehmite nanocomposites using AFM-based methods. We simplify the three-dimensional nanocomposite system to a two-dimensional horizontally layered sample with a large and easy to access interphase area. For this purpose, 1µm coatings of hydrothermally synthesized boehmite are prepared as the substrate on which the epoxy is later molded and cured. AFM surface potential and force maps were obtained on the cross-sectional cut of epoxy/ boehmite sample. The results show unexpectedly a large interphase area (approx. 1 µm) with different electrical and mechanical properties comparing to bulk epoxy. The average force-distance curves from this region showed more elastic behavior compared to bulk. The underlying mechanism of this influence is not fully understood yet. Thus, further investigation on the interphase region using the novel Nano-IR approach provides more information about the chemical characteristics. Numerical simulation will give complementary information to understand the effect of nanoparticles on the crosslinking density of the interphase. This can be different to bulk epoxy due to either different local temperature gradients or due to a surface selectivity of boehmite towards the monomer molecules. T2 - ICCS20–20th International Conference on Composite Structures CY - Paris, France DA - 04.09.2017 KW - AFM KW - AFM-IR KW - ImAFM KW - Boehmite KW - Epox KW - Nanocomposite KW - Interphase KW - Nanomechanics PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-50689 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Elabshihy, Karim T1 - Nano-mechanical characterization of epoxy/Cu interphase N2 - Characterization of the mechanical properties of interphases is essential when designing multicomponent materials such as fiber-reinforced matrices, protective coatings or multi-layered structures for integrated circuits. It can provide vital information about the durability of the finished product as a composite because failure is often initiated in the interfacial region induced by internal or external stress during fabrication or service. Nanoindentation is a powerful tool for investigating mechanical properties on the micro/nano scale. However, there are some challenges associated with conducting nanoindentation near interface regions. One main challenge is that the small thickness of the interphase region (typically 1-2µm) makes it difficult to apply several adjacent indents without overlap. Another issue is that the indentations are usually restricted by local reinforcement, and it becomes difficult to isolate the change in mechanical properties due solely to interphase formation. In this study we try to gauge the feasibility of nanoindentation for characterizing epoxy/Cu interphases. We develop a sample preparation method and optimize nanoindentation parameters in an attempt to avoid the restrictions mentioned above. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and finite element analysis are employed as reference techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of our technique. We show the influence of preparation method and nanoindentaion parameters on measurements of interphase properties and how they relate the mentioned challenges. T2 - Nanobrücken 2016 CY - Saarbrücken, Germany DA - 02.03.2016 KW - Composite KW - Epoxy KW - Interphase KW - Nanoindentation PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-35496 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 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 - Krauklis, A. E. A1 - Starovka, O. A1 - Gibhardt, D. A1 - Aouissi, H. A. A1 - Burlakovs, J. A1 - Sabalina, A. A1 - Fiedler, Bodo A1 - Kalinka, Gerhard T1 - Reversible and irreversible effects on the epoxy GFRP fiber-matrix interphase due to hydrothermal aging JF - Composites Part C N2 - Epoxy R-Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composite plates were hydrothermally aged at 60 ◦C for 23, 75, and 133 days. The water content reached 0.97 wt%, 1.45 wt% and 1.63 wt%, respectively. The studied GFRP matrix was inert to hydrolysis or chain scission, allowing for investigation of irreversible changes in the fiber-matrix interphase due to hydrothermal aging upon re-drying. During each period, a subset of the specimens was removed from the water bath and dried in a chamber. The weight loss upon drying was explained with epoxy leaching (impurities), sizing-rich interphase hydrolysis, glass fiber surface hydrolysis, accumulated degradation products escaping, and water changing state from bound to free. The influence of hydrothermal aging on the fiber-matrix interfacial properties was investigated. Lower interfacial strength of hydrothermally aged (wet) samples was attributed to plasticization of the epoxy, plasticization and degradation of the sizing-rich interphase (including formation of hydrolytic flaws), and hydrolytic degradation of the glass fiber surface. The kinetics of epoxy-compatible epoxysilane W2020 sizing-rich interphase hydrolysis provided an estimate of ca. 1.49%, 4.80%, and 8.49% of the total composite interphase degraded after 23, 75, and 133 days, respectively. At these conditions, the interface lost 39%, 48%, and 51% of its strength. Upon re-drying the specimens, a significant part of the interfacial strength was regained. Furthermore, an upward trend was observed, being 13%, 10% and 3% strength, respectively; thus, indicating a possibility of partial recovery of properties. KW - GFRP KW - Hydrothermal Ageging KW - Interphase KW - Water Diffusion KW - Desorption KW - Interfacial Strength PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581554 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomc.2023.100395 SN - 2666-6820 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam, Niederlande AN - OPUS4-58155 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 JF - Nanomaterials 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-483672 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/6/853/htm DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9060853 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 -