Epoxy-silica nanocomposites were obtained from directly blending diglycidylether of bisphenol-A and nanoscale colloidal silica and then curing with 4,4-diaminodiphenylmethane. The epoxy-silica nanocompoites showed good transparency and miscibility observed with AFM, SEM, and TEM. The thermal stability of the epoxy resins was improved with the incorporation of the colloidal silica. However, a depression on the glass transition temperature of the resins was observed, owing to the plasticizing effect of the colloidal silica. Moreover, the nanoscale colloidal silica did not show effectively synergistic effect on char formation and flame retardance with phosphorus. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.