Investigation of mechanical, thermal and water absorption behaviour of MWCNT’s with AL2O3 reinforced polymer composite

Abstract

In this work, composite materials were developed using compression moulding method, which the composition of M2A1C (Epoxy + 2 wt % MWCNT +1 wt % Al2O3), M2A1.5C (Epoxy + 2 wt % MWCNT +1.5 wt % Al2O3) and M2A1C (Epoxy + 2 wt % MWCNT +2 wt % Al2O3). From the composition, M2A1.5C had improved the mechanical properties of 30%, 24% and 28% in tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength, respectively, compared to the M2A1C. From the thermo-gravimetric examination, the critical change was happened during increasing of Al2O3, however, the M2A1.5C had a significant improvement within the residual mass and maximum temperature decomposition with compared to other composites. Hydrophobicity decreased in the M2A1C composition, due to the low density of the material in the composite. The study is exploring ways to improve the polymer-metal matrix hybrid composite materials to make them lighter and more affordable, as well as easier to use in light load applications.