DYNAMIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOCOMPOSITES WITH POLY (VINYL BUTYRAL) MATRIX

This work reports the preparation of SiO₂ and TiO₂/poly (vinyl butyral) nanocomposites with enhanced dynamic mechanical properties. Silica and titania nanoparticles were introduced in the matrix as the neat powder and as colloidal sol using the melt mixing process. Composites reinforced with colloidal sol silica and titania showed higher mechanical properties than the ones reinforced with as-received particles. When sol TiO₂ particles are used, the highest increase of storage modulus of about 54% is obtained for 5 wt% loading, while for sol SiO₂, the storage modulus increases with the addition of nanosilica with the largest increase of about 99% for 7 wt% loading. In addition, nanocomposites were introduced within Kevlar/PVB composites. The addition of 5 wt% silica and titania colloidal sol lead to the remarkable increase of the storage modulus for about 98 and 65%, respectively. Largest contribution of nanoreinforcements in lowering the glass transition temperature is observed for 7 wt% loading of TiO₂ and SiO₂ colloidal sol.