Sol-Gel Approach for Fabricating Silica/Epoxy Nanocomposites

Francesco Branda; Rossella Grappa; Aniello Costantini; Giuseppina Luciani

doi:10.3390/polym15142987

Sol-Gel Approach for Fabricating Silica/Epoxy Nanocomposites

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Jul 8;15(14):2987. doi: 10.3390/polym15142987.

Authors

Francesco Branda¹, Rossella Grappa¹, Aniello Costantini¹, Giuseppina Luciani¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemical Materials and Industrial Production Engineering (DICMaPI), University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy.

Abstract

This review focuses on the opportunities provided by sol-gel chemistry for the production of silica/epoxy nanocomposites, with significant representative examples of the "extra situ" approach and an updated description of the "in situ" strategy. The "extra situ" strategy enables the creation of nanocomposites containing highly engineered nanoparticles. The "in situ" approach is a very promising synthesis route that allows us to produce, in a much easier and eco-friendly manner, properly flame-retarded silica/epoxy nanocomposites endowed with very interesting properties. The review highlights the recently proposed mechanism of nanoparticles formation, which is expected to help to design the synthesis strategies of nanocomposites, changing their composition (both for the nanoparticle and matrix nature) and with in situ-generated nanoparticles possibly more complex than the ones obtained, until today, through this route.

Keywords: epoxy; flame retardancy; highly engineered nanoparticles; nanocomposites; silica in situ formation mechanism; sol–gel.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The work was supported by Ministry of Economic Development of Italy (MiSE) (Prog. no. F/130074/01-05/X38—CUP: B79J22002170005) as part of the funded project ULISSE (“Utilizzabilità e ricicLabilità di materIali, proceSsi e prodotti per il traSporto aereo sostEnibile”) with the aim of developing a new class of cabin interiors for commercial aircraft more sustainable from an environmental point of view through the use of recycled composite waste, following a “cradle-to-cradle” approach.