Application of r-GO-MMT Hybrid Nanofillers for Improving Strength and Flame Retardancy of Epoxy/Glass Fibre Composites

Vijayananth Kavimani,Balasubramaniam Stalin,Pudhupalayam Muthukutti Gopal,Manickam Ravichandran,Murugesan Bharani,Alagar Karthick,Sagar Roy

doi:10.1155/2021/6627743

Abstract

The application of nanomaterials as a strengthening agent in the fabrication of polymer nanocomposites has gained significant attention due to distinctive properties which can be utilised in structural applications. In this study, reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) and montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay were used as filler materials to fabricate hybrid epoxy-based nanocomposites. The synergistic effect of nanomaterials on flammability and mechanical behaviour of nanocomposites were studied. Results revealed that the addition of nanofiller showcases 97% and 44.5% improvement in tensile and flexural strength. However, an increment in the percentage of filler material over 0.3% exhibits a decremental mechanical property trend. Likewise, the addition of nanofiller increases the nonignition timing of the glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy composites. Fracture surface morphology displays the occurrence of the ductile fracture mechanism owing to the presence of hybrid fillers.

Highlights

In modern industries, epoxy-based resins are considered one of the most promising thermosetting polymers with outstanding merits, including low shrinkage, better adhesion, admirable chemical stability, and corrosion resistance [1,2,3,4]
The nanofiller materials used in this research are reduced graphene oxide (r-Graphene oxide (GO)) and MMT nanoclay, where the amount of MMT is fixed as 1.5% and the graphene percentage is varied from 0.1 to 0.4 with an equal interval of 0.1%
XRD and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis results of the developed composites are depicted in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), which confirm the presence of r-GO and MMT in the epoxy matrix

Summary

Introduction

Epoxy-based resins are considered one of the most promising thermosetting polymers with outstanding merits, including low shrinkage, better adhesion, admirable chemical stability, and corrosion resistance [1,2,3,4]. These facts made them a candidate material to employ widely as coating materials, laminates, microelectronic materials, and aerospace materials [5,6,7,8,9]. Glass-fibre-reinforced polymers (GFP) have been practised in several industrial applications that include transport and electrical appliances with better mechanical properties [15,16,17,18]

Methods

Results

Conclusion