Abstract
Surface modification of graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most important issues to produce high performance GO/epoxy composites. In this paper, the imidazole ionic liquid (IMD-Si) was introduced onto the surface of GO sheets by a cheap and simple method, to prepare a reinforcing filler, as well as a catalyst in epoxy resin. The interlayer spacing of GO sheets was obviously increased by the intercalation of IMD-Si, which strongly facilitated the dispersibility of graphene oxide in organic solvents and epoxy matrix. The addition of 0.4 wt % imidazolium ionic liquid modified graphene oxide (IMD-Si@GO), yielded a 12% increase in flexural strength (141.3 MPa), a 26% increase in flexural modulus (4.69 GPa), and a 52% increase in impact strength (18.7 kJ/m2), compared to the neat epoxy. Additionally the IMD-Si@GO sheets could catalyze the curing reaction of epoxy resin-anhydride system significantly. Moreover, the improved thermal conductivities and thermal stabilities of epoxy composites filled with IMD-Si@GO were also demonstrated.
Highlights
As a kind of classic thermosetting polymers, epoxy resins are of particular interest to structural engineers due to their good stiffness, high strength, excellent dimensional stability, low curing shrinkage, and unique chemical resistance
The results from AFM, X-rayX-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), XRD, and TGA indicate the successful preparation of IMD-Si@Graphene oxide (GO), and the grafting ratio is calculated to be 22.7% from the elemental analysis
The interlayer spacing of GO sheets is increased by intercalation of IMD-Si, which strongly facilitates the dispersibility of graphene oxide in organic solvents and epoxy matrix
Summary
As a kind of classic thermosetting polymers, epoxy resins are of particular interest to structural engineers due to their good stiffness, high strength, excellent dimensional stability, low curing shrinkage, and unique chemical resistance. Inherent brittleness strongly hinders the applications of epoxy resins in many fields. A large number of researchers have focused on the reinforcement of epoxy matrices with nano-fillers, such as SiO2 , Al2 O3 , Fe3 O4 , carbon nanotubes, etc. Graphene oxide (GO), as an oxide form of graphene, contains a large number of oxygenated groups on the basal planes and along the edges. GO has high organic compatibility with matrices and can be a suitable nano-filler to reinforce epoxy resins [7].
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