Study on the effect of hexamethylene diamine functionalized graphene oxide on the curing kinetics of epoxy nanocomposites

The curing kinetics of epoxy nanocomposites prepared by incorporating pristine graphene oxide (GO) and hexamethylene diamine functionalized graphene oxide (AGO) was studied using non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments. Loading of AGO in epoxy matrix resulted in the decrease of peak exotherm temperature (T-p) at all heating rates corroborating the enhanced curing reactions, when compared to the pristine GO filled epoxy system. The kinetic parameters of the curing processes of the neat, pristine and functionalized GO filled epoxy were determined using isoconversional methods viz. Kissinger and Friedman methods. In comparison to pristine GO filled epoxy system, epoxy nanocomposites loaded with AGO showed lower activation energy (E alpha) over the range of conversion (alpha) revealing the enhanced curing reactions in these system. The predicted curves determined using the kinetic parameters fit well with the non-isothermal DSC thermograms revealing the proposed kinetic equation clearly explain the curing kinetics of the prepared epoxy nanocomposites. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.