Optical and dielectric properties of nanocomposites systems based on epoxy resins and reactive polyhedral oligosilsquioxanes

An epoxy network structure made of diglycidylether of bisphenol-A and diamino diphenylsulfone was modified by adding various amounts of an epoxy functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane. The obtained nanocomposites were characterized in terms of optical and dielectric properties. The UV-absorption spectra were collected in the wavelength range of 400–800 nm. The optical data were analyzed in terms of absorption formula for non-crystalline materials. The optical energy gap and other basic constants, such as energy tails, dielectric constants, refractive index and optical conductivity, were determined and showed a clear dependence on the POSS concentration. It was found that the optical energy gap for the neat epoxy resin is less than for nanocomposites, and it decreases with increase in the POSS content. The refractive index of nanocomposites was determined from the calculated values of absorption and reflectance. It was found that the refractive index and the dielectric constants increased with increase in the POSS concentration. The optical conductivity, which is a measure of the optical absorption, increased with the POSS content. Furthermore, it was found that the glass transition temperature and the optical energy gap correlate well with the POSS filler concentration.