The effect of fullerene C60 on the mechanical and dielectrical behavior of epoxy resins at low loading

Abstract

Fullerene C60 / epoxy polymers nanocomposites with different C60 loading have (0.01–0.12 wt.%) been prepared. Mechanical testing shows that compared with neat epoxy, mechanical and toughning properties of composites are greatly improved. The addition of fullerene C60 increased the modulus of the epoxy (up to 20%), but the glass transition temperature was unaffected. The measured impact strength was also increased, from 38 to to 115 kJ/m2 with the addition of 0.12wt.% of fullerene C60. The toughning mechanism has been discussed. Dielectric spectroscopy was used to investigate the influence of nanoparticles on the relaxation processes in polymer matrix.