Nano and non-nano fillers in enhancing mechanical properties of epoxy resins: a brief review

Abstract

Epoxy resin, a high-performance thermosetting polymer with good mechanical properties, has been widely used as a structural composite and adhesive agent for various industries. However, epoxy resins suffer from brittle characteristics owing to their highly cross-linked structure. Such a shortage has restricted their application. In this regard, adding a suitable filler to the epoxy resin has been intensively studied and employed as a feasible strategy to overcome this shortage. Different types of fillers, including those with size classified under nano-range, and those not in nano-range, can be used for this purpose. In particular, the uses of nanoparticles as fillers have attracted much attention due to their unique intrinsic properties and high interfacial area that enables effective interaction with the epoxy resin. This paper aims to provide a brief review of the current research associated with the uses of nano and non-nano fillers in reinforcing epoxy resin. Interestingly, by comparing the data collected from past published works, it was found that the amount of non-nano filler required to reinforce epoxy resin is about 10 to 100 times more than the amount needed when nanofillers were applied. In this paper, the properties of the epoxy resins (after being added with either nano or non-nano fillers), research gaps, and prospects of the research area are delineated.