Synergistic effect of ultrasonically assisted exfoliated MWCNTs by ZrO₂ nanoparticles on thermo-mechanical and anti-corrosive properties of epoxy nanocomposites

Abstract

Exploiting the boundless potential of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is the critical issue in developing multifunctional nanocomposites. In this study, the MWCNTs are exfoliated by ZrO2 nanoparticles using the ultrasonication technique. The obtained MWCNT/ZrO2 hybrid nanofiller is infused in the epoxy matrix to produce multifunctional nanocomposites with superior thermo-mechanical and anti-corrosive properties. The physical, morphological, and structural properties of MWCNT/ZrO2 hybrid nanofiller are successfully studied by using XRD crystallography, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The chemical interaction between the MWCNT/ZrO2 hybrid nanofiller with the epoxy (EP) matrix is evaluated using FTIR spectroscopy. Results indicated that the corrosion protection performance of mild steel coated with MWCNT/ZrO2 hybrid epoxy nanocomposite (MNC) is considerably increased at 1.0 wt.% of MWCNT/ZrO2 hybrid nanofiller by reducing the corrosion rate from 8.82 MPY to 56 × 10−3 MPY. Furthermore, the tensile strength and lap shear strength of MNC with the same loading content is improved by 67.8% and 58.04%, respectively, compared to neat EP. The field emission scanning electron microscopy images of tensile fracture surfaces of MNC (1.0 wt.%) confirm the cluster-free uniform dispersion of MWCNTs in the EP matrix.

Advancement of Polyaniline/Carbon Nanotubes Based Thermoelectric Composites

“…Tremendous efforts have been devoted to dispersing CNTs in the solvent and polymer matrix uniformly. Various methods, such as the addition of surfactants, mechanical stirring and grinding, ultrasonic dual mixing technique, and functional group modification, have been widely applied to CNTs to improve their dispersibility [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ], thereby enabling the resultant nanocomposites to possess prominent mechanical, viscoelastic, and conductive properties.…”

Multi-axial elastic–viscoplastic curves of unidirectional carbon nanotube-polymer nanocomposites considering interphase and interface debonding using finite element modeling

“…[6][7][8][9][10] Among them, the carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced polymer nanocomposite is one of the most popular materials indicating excellent mechanical, thermal and electrical properties at a low level of CNTs. [11][12][13][14][15][16] For example, Rathi and Kundalwal 13 observed that the addition of the hybrid structure of CNT/ZrO 2 (1.0 wt.%) in epoxy matrix can provide 67.8% and 58.04% enhancement in the tensile and lap shear strength of resulting nanocomposites. Theoretical and experimental evaluations have revealed that CNTs can possess a high tensile modulus of ∼1 TPa and high tensile strength of ∼11-63 MPa.…”

“…Figure13. the uni-axial longitudinal loading, uni-axial transverse loading, bi-axial longitudinaltransverse loading and tri-axial longitudinal-transverse-transverse loading, interphase thickness is 10 nm and S max =100 MPa.…”

Augmenting the mechanical performance of three‐dimensional woven composites by the synergistic effect of fabric architecture and interfacial interaction of carbon nanotubes

“…One of the most commonly used matrices is epoxy (EP) resin, which is a highperformance structural polymer with exceptional mechanical properties, low shrinkage, good chemical and environmental resistances, and high dimensional stability. 25,26 However, the cross-linked structure and brittle nature of the virgin EP result in composites that have limited energy-absorption capacity or toughness. 27,28 Thus, in 3D fabric composites, matrix failure, fiber failure, and poor fiber-matrix interfacial interaction are important issues that need to be addressed to obtain high-performance structural composites.…”

“…While the mechanical performance of the composites largely depends on the reinforcement, the importance of the matrix cannot be overlooked. One of the most commonly used matrices is epoxy (EP) resin, which is a high‐performance structural polymer with exceptional mechanical properties, low shrinkage, good chemical and environmental resistances, and high dimensional stability 25,26 . However, the cross‐linked structure and brittle nature of the virgin EP result in composites that have limited energy‐absorption capacity or toughness 27,28 .…”