Understanding the Impact of Functionalization of Foam on Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composites

Syntactic foam mixed with epoxy thermoset polymer offers low density, exceptional mechanical properties, high thermal conductivity, and light weight due to which these composites are often used in thermal insulation, submarine, and aerospace applications. In this work, surface of the filler is modified by the silane-coupling agent in order to make it compatible with the organic host and prepare a composite with homogeneously distributed filler material. Impact test shows better energy absorption with silanized samples, and the effect of functionalization on the filler has been studied with respect to its electrical and mechanical properties. Dielectric constant of silanized composites has shown reduced value in comparison with the unsilanized specimens.