Abstract
Organic-inorganic hybrids containing various amounts of alumina were synthesized from epoxy resin and aluminum alkoxide via a sol-gel process. The phase structure and thermal and mechanical properties of the epoxy/alumina hybrids were studied in detail. It was revealed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations that the fine alumina network about 5 nm in size are uniformly dispersed throughout the epoxy matrix. The storage modulus in the rubbery region increased and the peak area of tan d curve at glass transition region decreased with the hybridization of small amounts of alumina. Moreover, the thermal and mechanical and conductive properties of the hybrid systems which were filled with a conductive filler were analyzed. The hybrid systems indicated stable conductivity even in the high temperature region. This is due to the suppression of the network chain motion with the hybridization of alumina networks.
