Mechanical properties of graphene oxide coated-glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

Abstract

Glass fiber/unsaturated polyester (GF/UPE) composites have widespread utilization in aerospace, construction, sports, electronics and automobile applications due to their light weight, high strength and chemical resistance. This work aims to study the effect of graphene oxide (GO) coated-GF on the mechanical properties of GF/UPE composites. Woven GF mats were soaked in GO/ethanol suspension followed by vacuum drying to coat GO on glass fibers. GO coated-GF/UPE composites were prepared by hand layup technique followed by curing under compression. GO was also dispersed in UPE resin at 0.25 wt% to develop dispersion strengthened UPE composite for comparison. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis confirmed successful deposition of GO onto GF. Mechanical tests of composites such as tensile, bend and impact tests were carried out to study mechanical properties of the composites. Mechanical properties of GO coated-GF/UPE composites were found better than the uncoated GF/UPE and dispersion strengthened composites.