ABSTRACT
Polymer composites are usually considered as the materials made of polymer matrixes and fillers. Fillers may play an important role in improving the properties as well as reducing the cost of these useful materials. The fraction, shape, and size of filler can strongly influence the rheological, mechanical, dielectric, and thermal properties of composites. As the size of filler decreases into nanoscale, the high surface area of filler results in its ∗ To whom correspondence should be addressed: twxu@ustc.edu.cn (Xu, T.W.), and hpsm@ustc.edu.cn
high surface activity. The interaction between polymer matrix and filler increases with the area of their interface. Strong interfacial interactions may lead to positive physical and mechanical properties of the composites. We define these materials as nanocomposites. Nanocomposites are not the simple mixture of polymer matrixes and nanosized fillers but the composites in which two components disperse into each other on nanoscale. Recently, inorganic-polymer nanocomposites play increasingly important roles in many areas [1-6]. Different approaches have been proposed to prepare these promising materials [7-9]. Nowadays, thermosetting resins are the most widely used polymer matrixes for composites in the industry [3,4]. They combine the advantages of proper stiffness and strength, high heat distortion temperature, and suitable thermal and environmental stability [10]. Till now, lots of documents have reported the preparation, characterization, and properties of thermosetting-resin-based nanocomposites [3,4], but the cure behavior of these filled thermosets is still not well understood.
