Polymer composite reinforced with nanoparticles produced from graphitic carbon-rich fly ash

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes and graphene are considered effective reinforcement materials for various polymers because of their superior properties. However, they are expensive and difficult to separate and incorporate individually into matrix systems because of their tendency to exist in clustered form. In this work, carbon nanoparticles produced from graphitic carbon-rich fly ash by high-energy ball milling are evaluated as a reinforcement in a high-performance epoxy matrix system. They were used in various weight fractions ranging from 0.1 to 2 wt.%. The obtained carbon nanoparticles have an average particle size of around 20 nm, while XPS spectrum shows active carbonyl groups on their surfaces. The mechanical tensile properties of the carbon nanoparticles/epoxy nanocomposite, including their Young's modulus, stiffness, and load at fracture, were investigated. Moreover, the effect of ethanol as a dispersion medium was studied. The obtained results indicate that the Young's modulus and load at fracture changed only slightly upon the addition of carbon nanoparticles to the epoxy matrix system. On the other hand, the stiffness was improved by 60% over that of the pure epoxy matrix system. This improvement was obtained at 0.6 wt.% carbon nanoparticle content. The test results indicate that ethanol is effective in modifying the nanocomposite mechanical properties. Additionally, results show that low-cost CNPs might be useful as a reinforcement material for high-stiffness products.

Recent Advances in Methods for the Recovery of Carbon Nanominerals and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons from Coal Fly Ash and Their Emerging Applications

“…Generally, coals of higher grades (like anthracite and bituminous) have higher percentages of carbon. The CFA, which has a higher amount of UC, is generally known as high carbon fly ash (HCFA) [32][33][34]. Based on the carbon content, CFA can be further classified into three classes, i.e., low or ultralow, moderately high, and very high carbon ash [35].…”

Epoxy Flooring/Oil Fly Ash as a Multifunctional Composite with Enhanced Mechanical Performance for Neutron Shielding and Chemical-Resistance Applications

“…Preparation of Epoxy-Flooring/HOFA Composites. The epoxy-flooring/HOFA composites were prepared according to the published work 32 with necessary modifications. Here, the fly ash powder was added to the base epoxy with a HOFA content of 1, 1.6, and 3.2 wt %.…”

Fly Ash Carbon Anodes for Alkali Metal-Ion Batteries

“…2 The collected particulates are known as fly ash. 3,4 Generally, the collected fly ash from electric power plants contains 70−90 wt % of carbon with small amounts of inorganic impurities. Through simple purification, FAC can be used to produce high-quality functional carbon materials.…”

“…Some unburned carbon components go along with the generated gas and react with impurities to form particulates . The collected particulates are known as fly ash. , Generally, the collected fly ash from electric power plants contains 70–90 wt % of carbon with small amounts of inorganic impurities. Through simple purification, FAC can be used to produce high-quality functional carbon materials. , During the severe combustion condition, the FAC forms an amorphous short-range ordered microcrystalline structure, which is more suitable for anode material in alkali metal-ion batteries compared with the commercial graphite …”