Material characterization of polymer nanocomposites for aerospace applications

Abstract

Nanocomposites have been used as suitable substitutes for metal matrices and alloys for quite some time. In industrial applications, carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) and other fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) are more prevalent as compared to polymers reinforced with one dimensional nanofillers. It becomes important to analyze the effects on the mechanical properties of polymer matrix when reinforced with nanofillers. The nanocomposites are prepared using epoxy resin as the polymer matrix. Two nanofillers, namely carbon nanotubes (CNT) and halloysite nanotubes (HNT) are used to compare the impact of each on the polymer matrix. Three different weight percentages for each nanofiller composite are fabricated: 0.5 wt%, 1 wt% & 1.5 wt% for CNT and 1 wt%, 5 wt% & 10 wt% for HNT is considered. The microstructural characterization through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) provided an in-depth understanding of the dispersion of nanofillers in the polymer matrix and the quality of its fabrication. The images obtained from the SEM show the presence of micro voids and some agglomerations in the specimens. The XRD plots with peak broadening confirm the smaller size of crystallite in nanocrystalline materials of the specimens. The mechanical characterization, which includes hardness, tensile and flexural showed the effect of nanofillers in the epoxy. However, it can be concluded that the application of 1 wt% nanofillers leads to an optimum dispersion and improved the polymer mechanical capabilities. A fractography analysis can be considered as a future scope of this study.