Preparation and experimental investigations on the mechanical behavior of hybrid polymer nanocomposite with boron carbide and graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract

AbstractThis paper gives an investigation into the morphological analysis of boron carbide and the mechanical properties of the Jutton-Glass hybrid polymer nanocomposites. As reinforcements, hybrid nanoparticles comprising boron carbide and graphene nanoplatelets were used. For laying the composites, the vacuum bagging technique was used with the composition of hybrid nanomaterial taken as 0, 0.25 and 0.5 wt.% of Gr and B4C, and the samples were tested for mechanical properties as per ASTM standards. The samples prepared have been subjected to various tests, and the results are reported. Before the preparation of composites, the polymer was mixed with surface-modified nanomaterial and stability tests were conducted to assess uniform dispersion with the aid of UV spectroscopy, and the outcomes showed that the samples had been exceptionally uniform over some time. It is determined that the mechanical behavior of hybrid composites, which include B4C with Gr, shows better properties than base, B4C, and Gr. However, the multi-layered samples with graphene nanoplatelets also showcased encouraging mechanical properties like hardness and tensile strength.

Keywords

• Stability
• boron carbide (B4C)
• graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs)
• scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• morphological analysis
• mechanical properties