Synergistic effect of nano graphene on the mechanical behaviour of glass-epoxy polymer composites

The effect of nano graphene on the mechanical behavior of Glass fabric reinforced epoxy composites was studied. The material systems selected for the study are neat epoxy (EP), 1 wt% Nano Graphene filled glass-epoxy (1GE) and 2 wt% filled glass-epoxy nano composites (2GE). These composite materials have been produced using vacuum bag molding technique. The mechanical properties were studied through tensile, flexural and impact behavior as per ASTM method. X-Ray diffraction analysis has been carried out to study the crystalline nature of composites. The experimented results revealed that the effect of nano graphene addition remarkably improved the mechanical behavior of glass epoxy composites. On the other hand, the sharp intense patterns of X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the pure crystalline behavior of material. The significant improvement in mechanical behavior of nano graphene filled composites is due to uniform distribution of nano graphene particles and also interfacial interaction of nano graphene with the glass fabric improving the structural stability of nano composites. SEM image investigation revealed the synergistic effect between nano particles and the glass fabric. Matrix deformation, agglomeration of nano graphene fillers and also fractured glass fabrics were some of the features observed during the study. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.