Thermal Properties of Boehmite-Epoxy Nanocomposites

In this chapter the results of the investigations regarding the thermal properties of several boehmite nanoparticle epoxy composites are presented. The thermal properties are remarkablly influenced by both the content and surface modification of the nanoparticles. A series of different composites were prepared and investigated with the laser flash analysis (LFA) and the hot plate method. The thermal conductivity increases gradually with the increase of particle content. The more particles are incorporated the higher the thermal conductivity. In addition, the surface modification of the nanoparticles has a great influence on the thermal conductivity. An enhancement up to 34% could be found for the composites produced with boehmite K-particles (KAS-G) modified with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilan (APTES) and steric acid by the group of Garnweitner (see Chap. 7). In contrast to thermal conductivity, investigations by DSC show that the heat capacity decreases with the increase of particle content. Moreover, the heat capacity is also remarkably influenced by the temperature and phase transition of the boehmite-epoxy nanocomposites.