Applications of silica nanoparticles in glass/carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy nanocomposite

Fiber-reinforced polymer nanocomposite has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its superior mechanical properties, outstanding lightness in weight, good thermal stability and corrosion resistance ability, which is enhanced by a variety of organic and/or inorganic nanofillers. Among all available inorganic nanofillers, silica (SiO2) nanoparticle (SNP) is one of the most important nanofillers and found at the forefront in the field of polymer composite materials due to its abundance and high-performance features. This is a tutorial review on the advances made in fabrication and application of glass/carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy nanocomposite (GFRENC/CFRENC) with SNPs and surface-modified SNPs. Research attempts on surface modification of SNPs and strategies to achieve high performance SNP-enhanced GFRENC/CFRENC are addressed.