Manufacturing and Performance Evaluation of Soy-Based Nanocomposites

Abstract

Epoxy-clay nanocomposites were synthesized using a soy-based epoxy resin, which was prepared by the process of transesterfication and epoxidation of regular food grade soybean oil. Nanoclay was dispersed into the soy-based epoxy resin using a high shear mixer and sonication. Tensile testing of the nanocomposites showed that the nanoclay improved the modulus and the strength by 625% and 340%, respectively. Exfoliation of the nanoclay was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The influence of the montmorillonite clay upon the curing efficiency of the epoxy-anhydride resin system was studied as a function of the clay concentration using differential scanning calorimetry. Rheological test were also conducted to find the suitability of using the soy-based epoxy clay nanocomposites toward common composite manufacturing applications. The soy-based nanocomposites hold great promise as environmentally friendly and low cost materials for structural applications.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Second Department

Chemistry

Sponsor(s)

Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council
National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Keywords and Phrases

Epoxy Resin; Nanocomposites; Soy-Based Nanocomposites; Soybean

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2006 American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2006

Link to Full Text

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