Abstract
A simplistic and economical process was employed for the oxidation of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) using concentrated HNO3, followed by their surface modification by amine functionalization via silanization with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The impact of the oxidation time of the GNPs (varied from 12 h to 72 h) and their surface functionalization was studied with respect to the change in thermo-mechanical and mechanical properties of the GNPs/epoxy nanocomposites. The degree of oxidation and functionalization of the GNPs was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The optimized oxidation time (60 h) and surface functionalization of the GNPs resulted in the significant improvement in the storage modulus (~176%), glass transition temperature (Tg) (~15 °C), tensile strength (~98.71%) and tensile modulus (~142.66%) of the GNPs/epoxy nanocomposites as compared the to neat epoxy (NE) system. Such tremendous enhancement in the material properties by a facile and economical approach can exhibit an inordinate potential to replace the costly multistep oxidation methods of fabrication of graphene/epoxy nanocomposites at industrial scale.
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