Characterization of mechanical properties of γAl₂O₃ dispersed epoxy resin cured by γ-ray radiation

Epoxy resins are widely utilized as high performance thermosetting resins for many industrial applications, but they are characterized by relatively low toughness. Incorporation of rigid inorganics is suggested to improve the mechanical properties of epoxy resins. An attempt is made to disperse nanosized γ-Al₂O₃ particles into diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resins for the improvement of the mechanical properties. These hybrid epoxy–alumina composites are prepared using by the γ-ray curing technique conducted at 100 kGy under nitrogen at room temperature. The composites are characterized by determining the gel content, flexural strength, Youngis modulus, and toughness at room temperature using scanning electron microscopy and FTIR studies. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1898–1903, 2004