8. Phthalonitrile/Metal Oxide Nanocomposites

The structure and properties of three types of cured PhN/metal oxide nanocomposites with Al₂O_3, TiO₂, or ZnO nanoparticles of an average diameter of 60 nm, which were treated with aminopropyltrimethoxysilane GX-540 as coupling agent, are described. In all cases, a satisfactory dispersion of nanoparticles was achieved. A significant improvement in the thermomechanical properties of nanocomposites with respect to the properties of the neat matrix was shown. The experimental data obtained for the elastic modulus of the studied Al₂O₃-containing nanocomposites were compared with the Series, Halpin–Tsai, and Kerner theoretical models; the best match was shown for the Halpin–Tsai model. The barrier properties of the TiO₂-containing nanocomposites as anticorrosive protective coatings were shown. The UV–visible transmittance spectra of the ZnO-containing nanocomposites showed that adding ZnO nanoparticles improved the UV-shielding properties of the neat matrix.