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A new type of nanocomposites based on a high performance bisphenol-A phthalonitrile resin and surface-modified alumina nanoparticles was prepared by a hot compression molding technique. The effect of adding different amounts of the reinforcing phase on the thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites was investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the starting decomposition temperatures and the residual weight at 800°C were highly improved upon adding the nanofillers. At 15 wt% nanoloading, the glass transition temperature and the storage modulus were considerably enhanced, reaching 346°C and 3.4 GPa, respectively. The tensile strength and modulus as well as the microhardness values increased with the increasing amount of the nanoparticles. The tensile modulus calculations were investigated using Series, Halpin-Tsai, and Kerner models. Haplin-Tsai model was found to reproduce the experimental data with the best accuracy. Estimation of the nanofillers shape factors for both Haplin-Tsai and Kerner models significantly improved the precision of the cited predictive models. The fractured surface of the nanocomposites analyzed by SEM exhibited homogeneous and rougher surfaces compared to that of the pristine resin. Finally, this new kind of nanocomposites is a highly attractive candidate for use in advanced technological applications such as the aerospace and military fields.POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1549-1558, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, zinc oxide nanoparticles were treated with aminopropyl trimethoxy silane-coupling agent and used as a new kind of reinforcement for a typical high performance bisphenol-A-based phthalonitrile resin. The resulted nanocomposites were characterized for their mechanical, thermal, and optical properties. Results from the tensile test indicated that the tensile strength and modulus as well as the toughness state of the matrix were all enhanced with the increasing of the nanoparticles amount. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the starting decomposition temperatures and the residual weight at 800°C were highly improved upon adding the nanofillers. At 6 wt% nanoloading, the glass transition temperature and the storage modulus were considerably enhanced reaching about 359°C and 3.7 GPa, respectively. The optical tests revealed that the neat resin possesses excellent UV-shielding properties, which were further enhanced by adding the nanofillers. Furthermore, the fractured surfaces of the nanocomposites analyzed by scanning electron microscope exhibited homogeneous and rougher surfaces compared with that of the pristine resin. Finally, the good dispersion of the reinforcing phase into the matrix was confirmed by a high resolution transmission electron microscope. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of nanocomposites was prepared by reinforcing a high performance bisphenol-A phthalonitrile resin with different amounts of silane surface modified titania nanoparticles. The effect of the nanofillers amount on the thermal, mechanical, and corrosion protective properties was investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the starting decomposition temperatures and the residual weight at 800 °C were highly improved upon adding the nanofillers. At 6% nanoloading, the glass transition temperature and the storage modulus were considerably enhanced reaching 364.4 °C and 3.2 GPa, respectively. The tensile strength and modulus as well as the microhardness values increased with the increasing of the nanoparticles amount. The tensile modulus calculations were investigated using Series, Halpin–Tsai, and Kerner models. Haplin–Tsai model was found to reproduce the experimental data with the best accuracy. Finally, results from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the neat resin and its related nanocomposites offer excellent corrosion protective properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new kind of nanocomposites based on phthalonitrile resin reinforced with silicon nitride (SiN) nanoparticles was prepared by a hot compression molding technique. For different weight ratios ranging between 0% and 15%, the effect of nano-SiN particles on the thermal and thermomechanical properties has been studied. Results from thermal analysis revealed that the starting decomposition temperature and the residual weight at 800 °C were highly improved upon adding the reinforcing phase. At the maximum nano-SiN loading, dynamic mechanical analysis showed an enhancement in both storage modulus and glass transition temperature, reaching 4 GPa and 360 °C respectively. Scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed that these improvements are essentially attributed to the good dispersion and adhesion between the particles and the resin thanks to the particles treatment with silane coupling agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]