Due to their high strength to weight ratio, polymer composite materials find numerous applications in structural, biomedical, sports and other industries.The small 5 nm diameter of nanodiamond (ND) particles in combination with their superior mechanical properties and rich surface chemistry, makes ND an optimal candidate for reinforcing polymer matrices. The effect of aminated ND on the epoxy stoichiometry and the resulting mechanical properties were investigated and demonstrate the advantages of covalent incorporation of ND into epoxy, resulting in a strong nanofiller-matrix interface. We show how Young's modulus can be further improved if an interference of nanodiamonds amino groups with the epoxy stoichiometry is taken into account. In a next step a micromechanics homogenization method was used to model the effect of ND dispersion and agglomeration on the composite Young's modulus. Our calculations suggest that even small reduction in agglomerate size will result in a further improved Young's modulus.

Nanodiamonds with optimized surface chemistry for polymer composites

244th National Meeting (2012)

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