Abstract
In the recent past, graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxides (RGO) as reinforcements showed great potential to improve strength, toughness, thermal stability, and electrical/thermal conductivities of the epoxy composites. The unique structural and physical characteristics of GO or RGO make them better reinforcements for epoxies compared to other carbon-based reinforcements. However, the preparation of GO and RGO is challenging due to the requirement of strong oxidizing agents, prolonged reaction time (∼96 h), complicated and costly experimentation setup. This problem can be solved by using milled graphite nanoparticles (GrNPs). The milled GrNPs have a porous structure consisting of stacked and randomly oriented planes with a large number of defect sites. The defect sites make them easy to oxidize within a very short time of 1.5 h. In the present study, economical silanized milled GrNPs were used to improve the thermo-mechanical behavior of GrNP-epoxy nanocomposites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was utilized to confirm the successful silanization of GrNPs by (3-Aminopropyal)triethoxysilane. The epoxy nanocomposite made with 0.5 wt% of silanized GrNP showed an outstanding enhancement in storage modulus of ∼758% with a considerable improvement of ∼33% and ∼43% in tensile strength and fracture toughness, respectively without sacrificing other important properties such as their thermal stability. Thus, an economical milled GrNP can be a good alternative to GO and RGO reinforcements for epoxy resins.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.