In this paper, the creep behavior of an epoxy-based adhesive reinforced with different weight fractions of graphene up to 0.5 wt% was studied. Creep tests were performed in three stress levels, using the ultimate strength of the neat epoxy as a reference. Results indicated that the presence of graphene up to 0.5 wt% reduces the creep strain and strain rate of the epoxy. However, the dominant behavior in the creep of epoxy–graphene composites is the creep pattern of the neat epoxy. These experimental observations led to development of theoretical creep models to an appropriate creep model for graphene-reinforced composites by introducing a new function of the graphene weight ratio. A scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that the strong bond between the graphene surface and epoxy matrix limits the mobility of the molecular chains of the neat epoxy and therefore reduces the creep strain.

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The mechanical behavior of an adhesive, in neat state and reinforced with up to 0.5 wt% of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was investigated here. Tests were done at temperatures between the ambient temperature and the glass transition temperature ( Tg[Formula: see text] of the adhesive. Using a metal mold, cured plates of the neat and RGO reinforced epoxy adhesive were prepared. The adhesive powder and the bulk dumbbell-shaped specimens, obtained from cured adhesive plates, were subjected to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile tests, respectively, to obtain the Tg as well as mechanical properties of the adhesives. The results indicated that adding RGO up to 0.5 wt% increased the glass transition temperature, the modulus of elasticity, and the strength of the adhesive. It was found that the presence of RGO reduced the adhesive’s strain at the break at the ambient temperature. However, at high temperatures, near the Tg, the ultimate strain of RGO-reinforced adhesives decreased slightly when compared to the ultimate strain of the neat specimens. This explains the reduction in toughness at ambient temperature obtained by adding RGO and the increase at high temperatures. Finally, the failure morphology of the neat and RGO-reinforced adhesive specimens was investigated using microscopic imaging of the specimens’ failure cross-sections, which supported and justified the experimental observations.