Mechanical property improvement of epoxy composites via electrospun SiO2 nanofibers

This research aims to produce and investigate the mechanical properties of epoxy matrix composites containing different amounts of SiO 2 continuous nanofibers. For this purpose, continuous SiO 2 nanofibers were made using the electrospinning process for varying durations of 0,1,3, and 5 h. Subsequently, calcination of the continuous SiO 2 nanofibers was performed to achieve the crystalline SiO 2 compound. After that, the epoxy matrix was produced by injecting epoxy resin into molds that had been previously filled with nanofibers. Finally, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites include through hardness and uniaxial tensile tests. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were utilized for microstructure analysis and fiber distribution assessment, at the same time energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed for chemical characterization and phase composition analysis. The results showed that the nanofibers had diameters under 100 nanometers, and a crystalline SiO₂ structure formed after calcination at 900 °C. Mechanical tests showed a 35% increase in strength for the epoxy with 3 h electrospun nanofibers, while the hardness of the epoxy resin matrix improved by 60% with 5 h electrospun nanofibers. Furthermore, the ceramic nanofibers improved the toughness of the composite samples compared to the pure resin matrix.