Epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures (polymerizes and cross-links) when mixed with a curing agent or "hardener". Most common epoxy resins are produced from a reaction between epichlorohydrin and bisphenol-A. A newly developed strategy offering promising results is to reinforce epoxy matrices with nano-sized organic and inorganic particles such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibres (CNFs), nanoclays, metal oxide nanoparticles, etc. and make new materials with enhanced properties. The unique properties of the nanoparticles such as nanometric size, high specific surface areas (up to 1000 m2/g) and the possibility of combining them with conventional reinforcements have caused intense research in the field of nanocomposites.
Reference:
Kesavan Pillai, S. and Ray, S.S. 2011. Epoxy-based carbon nanotubes reinforced composites. Advances in Nanocomposites - Synthesis, Characterization and Industrial Applications (ed Boreddy Reddy), InTech
Advances in Nanocomposites - Synthesis, Characterization and Industrial Applications (edited by Boreddy Reddy), InTech. Open Access Book under the Creative Commons License
