作者：Jing Zang, Yan-Jun Wan, Li Zhao, Long-Cheng Tang
關鍵字：epoxy resin; fracture toughness; graphene; nano- composites; surface modification
論文來源：期刊
具體來源：Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
發表時間：2015年
In this work, we investigate mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of thermally
reduced graphene oxide (TRGO)-filled epoxy composites with two different dispersion/
interface levels. The amphiphilic surfactant treatment of TRGO was found to promote the
dispersion in both water and epoxy, but also produced improved TRGO/epoxy interface. As
expected, incorporation of untreated or treated TRGO sheets into epoxy increases the storage
modulus and the glass transition temperature. In particular, significant improvements in
both tensile strength and fracture toughness (KIC) of the TRGO/epoxy composites were also
obtained after the surfactant treatment processing. For example, at a very low loading of
0.20 wt.-%, the surfactant-treated TRGO enhances the tensile strength and KIC of epoxy by $51
and$65%, respectively; while the corresponding untreated TRGO results in almost unchanged
strength and produces $52% improvement in the KIC value. Based on the fractography observation and
analysis, several failure mechanisms, e.g., crack
bridging, pull-out/debonding, and fracture of TRGO
as well as matrix plastic deformation, were identified
and correlated to the increased fracture toughness of
the two composite systems studied.