Abstract Polymeric materials are essential for mechanical and aerospace applications due to their versatility. Among them, epoxy resin, a well-known thermosetting polymer, is frequently used as an adhesive, coating, and composite matrix because of its high performance, ease of processing, and low cost. However, the crosslinked structure of epoxy resin makes it brittle and limits its crack resistance. Adding nanofillers to the epoxy matrix can significantly improve mechanical strength, hardness, toughness, and multifunctionality. Three-dimensional graphene oxide (3D-GO) has an ultra-lightweight, porous structure with excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Nanocomposites made with this structure outperform traditional two-dimensional graphene-based materials. In this study, 3D-GO was synthesized using a hydrothermal process followed by freeze-drying. The chemical composition and morphology of the resulting nanomaterials were characterized with diffraction, microscopy, and spectroscopy techniques. Then, a probe ultrasonicator was utilized to ensure uniform dispersion of nanoparticles within the epoxy resin over five consecutive 5-min intervals. This process resulted in the creation of a 0.5 wt% 3D-GO/epoxy nanocomposite for reinforcement testing. The mechanical behavior of the nanocomposite was experimentally evaluated under various loading conditions. Reinforcement using 3D-GO resulted in a 31 % and 37 % enhancement in compressive modulus and strength, a 18 % and 32 % increase in tensile modulus and strength, a 16 % and 41 % improvement in flexural modulus and strength, and a remarkable 98 % rise in impact strength. The results of this study indicate that incorporating nanoparticles into the resin not only enhances the mechanical properties but also significantly improves impact resistance. This demonstrates the substantial effect of 3D-GO nanoparticles in reducing the susceptibility of epoxy resin to dynamic loads. Therefore, it is anticipated that using this hybrid system will be advantageous for applications subjected to dynamic loading conditions. Fractographic analysis revealed that the three-dimensional structure of the reinforcing nanoparticles effectively mitigates interlayer bond failure and layer slippage within the matrix, thereby improving fracture resistance.
Kordi et al. (Tue,) studied this question.