TITANIUM OXIDE FILLER IN EPOXY COMPOSITES PRODUCED BY SOL-GEL METHOD

Transparent titanium oxide composites based on low-viscosity cycloaliphatic epoxy resins were synthesized using sol-gel technology. Titanium tetrabutoxide was introduced into epoxy-amine reaction mixtures UP-650T/Ancamine 2579 and Eponex 1510/Ancamine 2579 to form TiO2 particles. At the initial stages of synthesis, a sol of titanium oxide particles was formed directly in the polymer binder. The formation of titanium oxide and epoxy three-dimensional networks occurred simultaneously. The maximum content of inorganic filler in the composites was 5 wt.%. In both types of polymer matrices, titanium dioxide formed in situ by the sol-gel method exhibits a reinforcing effect (the temperature of transition to the highly elastic state of the composites shifts towards higher values) due to the formation of a titanium oxide framework inside the organic matrix. The homogeneity of the structure of the obtained samples depends on the filler content and the epoxy resin used for the synthesis. With an increase of titanium dioxide concentration in the composition of the composites, the resistance of the samples to oxidation by oxygen, as well as the thermal stability of the composites, increases. The temperature of the starting of main stage of thermo-oxidative destruction increased by 11 °C, and the temperature of 50 % mass loss of the samples – by 29 °C. Keywords: sol-gel method; titanium dioxide; epoxy composites; properties; destruction.