Measured amount of nanoclay was fir

Measured amount of nanoclay was first preheated at 100 ◦C for
2 h and degassed to avoid the lump formation due to any moisture content. Nanoclay was then dispersed in part A of SC-15 epoxy
resin with a magnetic stirrer for 5 h. In this magnetic stirring process, a magnetic stir bar (or flea) was used. The stir bar rotates (and
thus stirs) synchronous with a separate rotating magnet located
beneath the vessel containing the reaction as shown in Fig. 1a. The
fast motion of the solution due to stirring creates a vortex effect
and thus disperses the nanoparticles uniformly. The modified part
A was then mixed with part B of SC-15 epoxy at a ratio of 10:3 using
a high speed mechanical stirrer at 800 rpm for 5 min (Fig. 1b)