Author(s)

H.S. Jeon

Abstract

The structure of single layer epoxy-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) nanocomposite films and the effects of the POSS nanoparticle addition on the swelling of a single layer of epoxy films on silicon substrates is investigated by neutron reflectivity (NR) as a function of the resin/crosslinker composition and cure temperature. The microstructure of the nanocomposite films is examined by swelling the films with the good solvent d-nitrobenzene (dNB). The main result is a large suppression of swelling in the surface and nearsurface regions and the bulk of the film. This may be due to the blocking of the solvent molecules that intend to diffuse into the network of epoxy film. It is known that the resin/curing agent composition dependence of the swelling in single layer epoxy films is likely to be due to the preferentia

Keywords