EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM WATER EXPOSURE ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MULTI-LAYER GRAPHENE AND MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES-REINFORCED EPOXY NANOCOMPOSITES

Abstract

The influence of short-term water absorption on the mechanical properties of Multi-Layer Graphene (MLG) and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforced epoxy hybrid nanocomposites were studied. Water absorption test was conducted by immersing specimens in water at room temperature for 96 hours. The lowest water absorption was 0.4% in the case of 0.1 wt% MLG-epoxy. The highest improvement of Young’s modulus and tensile strength were observed in the case of 0.1 wt% MLG-epoxy, where the value increased to 72.4% and 58% respectively. After water immersion, Young’s modulus and tensile strength dropped 6.7% and 29% compared to the dry samples. The fracture toughness of 0.1 wt%-epoxy increased up to 113% for dry samples. After water exposure, the fracture toughness increased to 125% due to the plasticisation effect of the resin matrix. Findings showed that MLG has great influence in enhancing the mechanical performances of epoxy nanocomposites than MWCNTs. It was also observed that synergistic effects are not effective to produce significant improvement in mechanical properties of produced hybrid nanocomposites at the concentration of 0.1 wt%.

Keywords

• Carbon nanotubes
• Epoxy
• Graphene
• Mechanical properties
• Water absorption.