Effect of Surface-Functionalization of Na+-Montmorillonite Nanoclay Using 3-Aminopropyltrimethoxy Silane on the Mechanical Properties of E-Glass Chopped Strand Mat/Epoxy Composites

In the present work, na+-montmorillonite nanoclay (na-mmt) was functionalized using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-aptms) as a coupling agent. the covalent functionalization of mmt was confirmed by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ft-ir). in the specimen fabrication stage, 5 wt% of pristine mmt or silanefunctionalized mmt (f-mmt) were incorporated into an epoxy system and the resultant mixture was applied on an e-glass chopped strand mat (csm). a significant enhancement in the mechanical behavior (tensile and flexural properties) of csm/epoxy composite was observed when enhanced with 5 wt% of f-mmt. the addition of 5 wt% of f-mmt enhanced the tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile modulus, and flexural modulus by 18%, 38%, 18%, and 28%, respectively. compared to the mmt/csm/ epoxy composite, the f-mmt/csm/epoxy specimen demonstrated 12%, 18%, 11%, and 16% increase, respectively, in the tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile modulus, and flexural modulus. the observed behavior is related to the enhanced interfacial interaction between f-mmt and the epoxy matrix due to the chemical functionalization of mmt.