Basalt filler

The hardening of the boundary layer of epoxy and polyester compositions was studied by IR spectroscopy (of repeatedly disturbed total internal reflection—RDTIR) on a UR-20 spectrometer. A KRS-5 prism N =18, C = 45°) and a germanium prism N =14, C = 45°) were used for simulation of the substrate surface. The thickness of a polymer layer was 0.5-1 nm for the element made of germanium and 2-3 nm for KRS-5. Inhibition of polyester resin polymerization by atmospheric oxygen was eliminated by applying a polyethylene film to the surface of a system to be hardened. The thickness of the applied epoxy and polyester composition was up to 20-30 nm. To evaluate the glass-transition temperature and the polymer-solvent interaction parameter, we used reversed-phase gas chromatography. Basalt-1 and basalt-2 (see below) served as fillers and as a model substrate. The... 

Therefore, many studies have attempted to alleviate the worsened mechanical and thermal properties through the inclusion of fillers. Several kinds of fillers used in research have included nanoclay fillers (Haq et al., 2008 Zhang et al., 2013 Swain et al., 2012 Albayrak et al., 2013), microfiber celluloses (Shibata and Nakai, 2010 Bitinis et al., 2013 Pandey et al., 2013), and basaltic fibers (Torres et al., 2013). Compared to other fillers, nanoclay fillers have gained great popularity due to their attractive platelet-like nanostructures. The unique structure and property of nanoclay fillers have resulted in the manufacture of numerous polymer/clay nanocomposites as reviewed by Alexander and Dubois (2000). 

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