Abstract
As a member of two-dimensional (2D) materials, MXene is an ideal reinforcement phase for modified polymers due to its large number of polar functional groups on the surface. However, it is still relatively difficult to modify any functional groups on the surface of MXene at present, which limits its application in enhancing some polymers. Herein, one-dimensional (1D) attapulgite (ATP) nanomaterials were introduced onto the surface of MXene to form ATP–MXene hybrids, which successfully improved the mechanical properties of the epoxy composites. ATP with appropriate content can increase the surface roughness of the MXene lamellae to obtain better interface interaction. Therefore, remarkable enhancement on the mechanical property was achieved by adding M02A025 (0.2 wt % MXene and 0.25 wt % ATP), which is the optimum composition in the hybrids for composite mechanical properties. Compared to neat epoxy, the tensile strength, flexural strength and critical stress intensity factor (KIC) of M02A025/epoxy are increased by 88%, 57%, and 195%, respectively, showing a high application prospect.
Highlights
Nanoscale 2D materials are ideal reinforcement phases for strengthening and toughening polymer materials due to the high specific surface area and excellent mechanical properties [1,2,3,4,5]
ATP–MXene hybrids were observed in the cured epoxy composites, which indicated that ATP rods were firmly attached to the surface of MXene lamellae by intermolecular forces, as evidenced by the adsorption that occurred at the edges of MXene lamellae
The ATP–MXene hybrids with 1D ATP nanorods attached on 2D Ti3 C2 Tx nanoplatelets at various combinations were prepared through a solution process, and the epoxy composites with uniformly distributed ATP–MXene hybrid fillers were fabricated
Summary
Nanoscale 2D materials are ideal reinforcement phases for strengthening and toughening polymer materials due to the high specific surface area and excellent mechanical properties [1,2,3,4,5]. Due to the unique 2D layered structure, large specific surface area, excellent mechanical properties, rich surface functional groups, and light transmittance [7,8,9,10], MXene has been widely used in the field of reinforced polymer composites [11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. The general formula of MXene is Mn+1 Xn Tx (n = 1, 2, 3 or 4), M refers to an early transition metal, and X refers to C or N elements [18,19,20,21]. Surface modification is a way to expand reinforcing phases, increase their compatibilities with specific polymers and enhance the reinforcing effect [26]
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