Nanocomposites

4Effects of the Size and Nature of Fillers on the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of PEEK Matrix Composites

Marie DOUMENG¹,², Karl DELBɹ, Florentin BERTHET², Olivier MARSAN³, Jean DENAPE¹ and France CHABERT¹

¹ ENIT – INPT, University of Toulouse, France

²Institut Clément Ader, University of Toulouse, France

³CIRIMAT – ENSIACET – INPT, University of Toulouse, France

4.1. Introduction

The properties of composites are governed by the properties of each of the constituents and their interactions at the interface. In nanocomposites, this contact surface is larger at constant filler rate, which makes the role of the interface preponderant. This role is even more dominant as the size of the fillers decreases; going from a micrometer to a nanometer filler, the specific surface increases by a factor of 1,000 for spheres. For nanocomposites, the researchers’ goal is to predict how matrix chemistry and morphology synergize with surface chemistry, size and shape of nanoscale fillers to define the properties of the resulting material. Crosby (2007) clearly outlines the state of knowledge of the “nano” effect on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. Since then, numerous works have been able to better quantify the gain brought by nanofillers. This effect comes from the fact that the scales of the macromolecule and the filler are similar. It depends on the matrix, the filler and the interfacial interactions. Crosby and Lee (2007) observe that the “nano” effect is reduced when nanocomposites ...