Graphene nanoplatelets/organic wood dust hybrid composites: physical, mechanical and thermal characterization

The widespread uses of natural fibre/filler-reinforced composites are the recent advanced trend in the research field. This study investigates the effects of a relatively low concentration of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in microwood particles-reinforced epoxy composites to enhance their physical, mechanical, thermal and fracture properties.The hybrid composites were prepared with hand layup techniques with different weight percentages of wood particles (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10) at a constant 0.5% of GNPs. The surface modification of untreated and treated wood particles was analysed with X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, showing that treated wood particles have a better interlocking bond with GNPs and epoxy matrix. The increments of 35.55% tensile strength, 30.64% flexural strength, 22.98% hardness, 41.67% impact strength, 16.05% conductivity, 26.71% fracture toughness and 74.38% fracture energy were recorded with WGPC-5.0 hybrid composites compared to WGPC-0. The maximum storage modulus (2.4 GPa) and loss modulus (0.26 GPa) also confirmed better interfacial bonding strength and stiffness for WGPC-5.0 hybrid composites with the highest glass transition temperature of 92 degrees C. The corrosion rate and water absorption properties were higher for the higher weight percent of wood particles.The morphological analysis confirmed that higher loading of wood particles (7.5-10%) resulted in agglomeration, thus weak bonding of particles with epoxy matrix and therefore decrements in the properties were observed.

Automated summary

The study found that adding a relatively low concentration of graphene nanoplatelets can significantly enhance the physical, mechanical, thermal, and fracture properties of microwood particle-reinforced epoxy composites, while higher wood particle loading can cause agglomeration and weaken the bonding with the epoxy matrix, leading to decreased properties.