Thermal, mechanical, thermo‐mechanical and morphological properties of graphene nanoplatelets reinforced green epoxy nanocomposites

Abstract

The efficient inclusion of GNPs (graphene nanoplatelets) as an effective nano‐fillers for green polymer matrices produced with 28% of carbon originating from biomass tends to significantly improve mechanical and thermal properties. In the present work, green epoxy nanocomposites with low loading of (0.1, 0.25, and 0.5) wt% of the GNPs were made using a solution blending technique using acetone as the solvent. In mechanical stirring, the ultrasonic bath was used to ensure the efficient dispersion of GNPs within green epoxy. The resulting nanocomposites were comprehensively characterized and compared to unfilled green epoxy. Different tools were used to appraise morphological, thermal, thermo‐mechanical, and mechanical behavior. The results confirmed through FE‐SEM showed an optimal dispersion of GNPs with nanocomposites. The thermal degradation temperature (Td) of GNPs curve with 0.25 wt% loading was shifted toward higher temperature (from 336°C to 342°C) due to low percentage of loading of GNPs which showed an enhance thermal stability of polymer matrix with 0.25 wt% loading. The mechanical results were also in lined with previously published literature, in the tensile test 6.45% and hardness 13.3% increment was achieved. Overall, the results underscored significant improvements in green nanocomposite performance with low wt% of GNPs.Highlights The study focuses on development and characterization of green epoxy nanocomposites, which utilize environmentally friendly materials as a matrix, highlighting the significance of sustainability. The study explores effects of low loading of GNPs in green epoxy nanocomposites. The results demonstrate significant improvements in mechanical and thermal properties with optimized presence of GNPs. This investigation provides insights into optimal amount of GNPs required to achieve improved properties. Research evaluates multifaceted analysis provides a holistic understanding of performance enhancements achieved through inclusion of GNPs.

Viscoelastic behaviour of yttrium oxide and reduced graphene oxide embedded epoxy nanocomposite

“…The results showed an increment in damping factor (Tan δ) from 1953.30 MPa to 3414.90 MPa and glass transition temperature (T g ) from 80.18 °C to 90.49 °C for epoxy and ETG-150 respectively. J Yusuf et al [15] utilized environmentally friendly green epoxy as the matrix to synthesize graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) reinforced green epoxy nanocomposites. They explored the effect of GNP at different compositions in green epoxy nanocomposites and analyzed their thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical properties.…”