Recent work on morphology control of nanocomposites through rational interface design will be presented on epoxy/organoclay and epoxy/boron nitride nanocomposites. These systems have the potential to be used in printed circuit boards (PCBs) to decrease material use, replace flame retardants, and increase the lifetime of devices on the board. Morphology control of the filler in these systems is key to achieving the desired properties, with directed assembly being highly desirable for drop-in commercial applications.In an epoxy/organoclay system, a homogenously dispersed nanostructure is required. Surfactants are generally used to achieve this, with significant study of long chain alkyl ammonium surfactants, alkoxysilanes surfactants, among others. 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane is the surfactant of choice for epoxy systems because of its potential to covalently bond with the matrix material as well as the filler. However, it can also bond to itself resulting in agglomerated clay particles in the system. A novel monofunctional surfactant, aminopropyldimethylethoxysilane, was grafted onto montmorillonite clay in order to reduce the potential for bonding to itself. Characterization of the organoclay and nanocomposite was done by FTIR, XRD, TGA, and DMA to determine surfactant loading, dispersion of the filler organoclay, and mechanical properties. The novel surfactant was shown to increase the gallery spacing of the organoclay and increase thermal stability of the nanocomposite, indicating that the use of aminopropyldimethylethoxysilane is beneficial for epoxy/organoclay systems.Conversely for an application of increased thermal conductivity, a percolated filler structure is required. Aminodipropylmethoxysilane was also used with boron nitride particles as an aid to achieve percolation, with only half of the particle surface being modified. This Janus particle has the potential to assemble into a percolated structure at very low filler loading levels, much lower than the typical 30wt% typically used.

Rational interface design for morphology control in nanocomposites

248th National Meeting (2014)

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