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Interface modification of clay and graphene platelets reinforced epoxy nanocomposites: a comparative study

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The interface between the matrix phase and dispersed phase of a composite plays a critical role in influencing its properties. However, the intricate mechanisms of interface are not fully understood, and polymer nanocomposites are no exception. This study compares the fabrication, morphology, and mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites tuned by clay layers (denoted as m-clay) and graphene platelets (denoted as m-GP). It was found that a chemical modification, layer expansion and dispersion of filler within the epoxy matrix resulted in an improved interface between the filler material and epoxy matrix. This was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope. The enhanced interface led to improved mechanical properties (i.e. stiffness modulus, fracture toughness) and higher glass transition temperatures (T g) compared with neat epoxy. At 4 wt% m-GP, the critical strain energy release rate G 1c of neat epoxy improved by 240 % from 179.1 to 608.6 J/m2 and T g increased from 93.7 to 106.4 °C. In contrast to m-clay, which at 4 wt%, only improved the G 1c by 45 % and T g by 7.1 %. The higher level of improvement offered by m-GP is attributed to the strong interaction of graphene sheets with epoxy because the covalent bonds between the carbon atoms of graphene sheets are much stronger than silicon-based clay.

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Acknowledgements

I.Z. thanks Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia for the award of scholarship. Jeffamine was kindly provided courtesy of Huntsman (Singapore). The authors thank B Wade, L Waterhouse and J Terlet for technical support at Adelaide Microscopy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Parit Raja, 86400, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia

    Izzuddin Zaman, Bukhari Manshoor & Amir Khalid

  2. School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, 5095, Australia

    Qingshi Meng & Sherif Araby

Authors
  1. Izzuddin Zaman
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  2. Bukhari Manshoor
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  3. Amir Khalid
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  4. Qingshi Meng
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  5. Sherif Araby
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Correspondence to Izzuddin Zaman.

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Zaman, I., Manshoor, B., Khalid, A. et al. Interface modification of clay and graphene platelets reinforced epoxy nanocomposites: a comparative study. J Mater Sci 49, 5856–5865 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8296-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8296-y

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