Materials that are tough, yet light are highly desirable for many defense applications, such as airframes, UAVs/drones, vehicle parts, and body armor. Composite materials, especially fiber-reinforced resins, are a privileged class of materials that combine light weight and extreme mechanical strength. A variety of substances have been applied as interphase agents between reinforcing fibers and resins in composites. SiO2 nanoparticles are commonly used for improve the compressive properties and stability of composite materials, especially those based on epoxy polymer resins. However, a high weight loading of SiO2 (&gt; 10 wt.%) is commonly needed. This leads to an undesirable increase in the weight of the composite due to the high density of SiO2. A need exists for additives that could improve the mechanical properties of the resin and prevent fiber delamination without penalizing the weight of the composite. We propose to solve the problem by using suitably functionalized hollow silica or organo-silica nanoparticles as interphase agents. These particles are remarkably light, yet they have many of the same beneficial properties as the traditional SiO2-based interphase agents. Blending in as little as 0.1 wt % of one of our nanoparticle formulations have increased the ultimate strength of common aerospace resins by up to 100%. This technology offers a drop-in replacement for existing interphase agents in carbon fiber and similar composites. Materials prepared with the use of our hollow-particle interphase agent can be up to 20% lighter than the materials currently on the market. Furthermore, better dispersibility of our interphase agent allows easier curing procedures, and simplifies manufacturing of more complex parts and objects.

Surface-functionalized hollow silica nanoparticles for advanced material applications

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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