Improvement of resin impregnation into glass cloth by silane treatment in resin transfer molding

An evaluation method was proposed for resin impregnation using resin transfer molding of unsaturated polyester matrix composites with silane-treated glass cloth. The determination of whitening of the composite was carried out as a parameter of incompleteness of resin impregnation. The change of whitening with silane concentration was compared with the bending modulus as a parameter of chemical reinforcement. The materials used were unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane as a silane coupling agent for glass cloth. Resin transfer molding was used to produce four plies of glass cloth laminates by impregnating the resin. The silane-treated glass cloth repressed whitening above 0.026 w/w% of silane in aqueous solution, while the chemical reinforcement due to silane gave no appearance below 0.2 w/w% based on the bending test of the laminates. The large difference between the concentrations suggested that silane has a couple of functions, that is, chemical reinforcement and physico-chemical resin wettability.     

Interfacial mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-deposited carbon fiber epoxy matrix hierarchical composites

Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes were successfully deposited on carbon fibers using four different techniques including dip coating, hand layup, spray up and electrophoretic deposition (EPD). A uniform coating of nanotubes was achieved from EPD in comparison to other coating techniques. Later nanotube-coated fibers by EPD were introduced in epoxy resin to investigate interfacial mechanical properties of the developed hierarchical composites by vacuum bagging technique. The increases in flexural and interlaminar shear properties up to 15% and 18% were observed in composites containing nanotube-coated carbon fibers than composites with virgin carbon fibers, respectively. Microscopic observation revealed the proper impregnation of multiscale reinforcements, i.e., carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes, in resin along with the modification of fiber/matrix interface due to the presence of nanotubes at interface. Finally, the mechanisms for improved mechanical properties were identified along with the presentation of a schematic model for better understanding of the improved performance of hierarchical composite after depositing uniformly dispersed nanotubes on carbon fibers.     

Improving the performance of conventional glass fiber epoxy matrix composites by incorporating nanodiamonds

Multiscale glass fiber epoxy matrix composites containing nanodiamonds were fabricated using vacuum bagging technique. Three different loadings of nanodiamonds were incorporated in epoxy resin after their functionalization through ozone-treatment, i.e., 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt%. The functionalization of nanodiamonds was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, which improved the dispersion of nanodiamond in epoxy resin thus improving the mechanical properties. Tensile, compression, flexural and interlaminar shear properties of the composites were improved. The tensile, compression and flexural strengths improved up to 36, 56 and 30% by the addition of 0.5 wt% nanodiamonds while the corresponding moduli increased to 30, 125 and 46%, respectively. An improvement of 38% in interlaminar shear strength was observed. The microscopy of the composites was performed using optical and electron microscopy and proper impregnation of glass fibers and the absence of the agglomerates of nanodiamonds were ensured. The homogeneous dispersion of nanodiamonds and their adhering role at fiber/matrix interface improved the mechanical properties of the composites. The developed composites are ideal candidate materials for engineering applications demanding high specific mechanical properties.     

Enhancing the interfacial strength of glass/epoxy composites using ZnO nanowires

This paper investigated the application of ZnO nanowires (ZnO NW) to enhance the interfacial strength of glass/epoxy composites. ZnO NW were grown on glass fibers by hydrothermal method, tensile properties of bare and ZnO NW coated fibers were measured by single fiber tensile testing, wettability of fiber with resin was studied by contact angle measurements and finally the interfacial strength and mechanisms were determined by single fiber fragmentation testing of glass/epoxy composites. The surface coverage of ZnO NW on glass fibers was fairly uniform without formation of major clusters. The coating of ZnO NW slightly reduced the tensile strength and improved the tensile modulus of fibers. Wettability tests showed reduction in contact angles for ZnO NW coated fibers because of enhanced wetting and infiltration of epoxy resin into nanowires. In fragmentation testing of microcomposites, smaller and concentrated interfacial debonding zones for ZnO NW coated fibers indicated good stress transfer and strong interfacial adhesion. A new form of crossed and closely spaced stress patterns were observed for nanowires of high aspect ratios. The interfacial strength of ZnO NW coated fibers increased by at least 109% and by 430% on average, which was attributed to the increased surface area and mechanical interlocking provided by ZnO NW.     

Effects of plasma surface modification on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber and carbon fiber/epoxy composite

_The effect of surface treatment on mechanical properties of carbon fibers has been investigated by application of plasma polymerization of selected monomers in the vapor phase. The role of the fiber-matrix interface on carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites has also been studied. Composites have been prepared separately by the use of plasma-modified and unmodified carbon fibers in the epoxy resin matrix. The mechanical properties of carbon fibers (Hercules and Grafil) as well as of fiber/epoxy composites were examined by using single filament and three-point bending tests, respectively. It was observed that plasma polymerization treatment at selected plasma conditions led to significant improvement of interlaminar shear and flexural strength values of composites.     

Thermal and Tensile Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites Reinforced by Silane-functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Epoxy nanocomposites with unmodified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (u-MWCNTs) and silanized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (si-MWCNTs) were prepared by a cast molding method. The effects of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalization of MWCNTs on thermal, tensile, and morphological properties of the nanocomposites were examined. The nanocomposites were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and tensile testing. The results showed that epoxy composites based on si-MWCNTs showed better thermal stability, glass transition temperature, and tensile properties than the composites based on u-MWCNTs. These results prove the effect of silane functionalization on the interfacial adhesion between epoxy and MWCNTs. This was further confirmed by morphology study of fractured surfaces of nanocomposites by field emission scanning electron microscopy.     

Plasma treatment of carbon fibers: Non-equilibrium dynamic adsorption and its effect on the mechanical properties of RTM fabricated composites

The effect of oxygen plasma treatment on the non-equilibrium dynamic adsorption of the carbon fabric reinforcements in RTM process was studied. 5-Dimethylamino-1-naphthalene-sulfonylchloride (DNS-Cl) was attached to the curing agent to study the change of curing agent content in the epoxy resin matrix. Steady state fluorescence spectroscopy (FS) analysis was used to study this changes in the epoxy resin at the inlet and outlet of the RTM mould, and XPS was used to study the chemical changes on the carbon fiber surfaces introduced by plasma treatment. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and flexural strength were also measured to study the effects of this non-equilibrium dynamic adsorption progress on the mechanical properties of the end products. FS analysis shows that the curing agent adsorbed onto the fiber surface preferentially for untreated carbon fiber, the curing agent content in the resin matrix maintain unchanged after plasma treatment for 3 min and 5 min, but after oxygen plasma treatment for 7 min, the epoxy resin adsorbed onto the fiber surface preferentially. XPS analysis indicated that the oxygen plasma treatment successfully increased some polar functional groups concentration on the carbon fiber surfaces, this changes on the carbon fiber surfaces can change the adsorption ability of carbon fiber to the resin and curing agent. The mechanical properties of the composites were correlated to this results.     

Discontinuous basalt and glass fiber reinforced PP composites from textile prefabricates: effects of interfacial modification on the mechanical performance

Spun and blown basalt fibers and their PP matrix composites were investigated. The composites were manufactured by hot pressing technology from carded and needle punched prefabricate using PP fiber as matrix material. Glass and blown basalt fibers were treated with reaction product of maleic acid-anhydride and sunflower oil while spun basalt fibers had a surface coating of silane coupling agent. Fibers were investigated with tensile tests while composites were subjected to static and dynamic mechanical tests. The results show that blown basalt fibers have relatively poor mechanical properties, while spun basalt fibers are comparable with glass fibers regarding geometry and mechanical performance. The static and dynamic mechanical properties of glass and spun basalt fiber reinforced composites are similar and are higher than blown basalt fiber reinforced composites. Results were supported with SEM micrographs.     

Synergistic Effect of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on the Flame Retardancy and the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Epoxy Resin

A novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane containing phosphorus and boron (PB-POSS) was synthesized. The resulting PB-POSS and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were incorporated into an epoxy resin (EP) to prepare PB-POSS/MWCNTs/EP composites through a solution mixing method. The synergistic effect of MWCNTs and PB-POSS on the thermal and mechanical properties and the flame retardancy of these flame retardant composites were studied. The experimental results showed that the introduction of PB-POSS or MWCNTs further improved the LOI values of the epoxy resin, and the highest LOI value (32.8%) was obtained for the formulation containing 14.6 wt% PB-POSS and 0.4 wt% MWCNTs. In addition, the incorporation of both PB-POSS and MWCNTs significantly improved the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites. The mechanical properties of composites containing 14.7 wt% PB-POSS and 0.3 wt% MWCNTs reached the maximum. The impact strength and flexural strength increased by 42% and 7%, respectively, compared to the neat epoxy resin. Thus, a combination of PB-POSS and MWCNTs in the appropriate ratio could effectively enhance the thermal and mechanical properties and the flame retardancy of the epoxy resin matrix.     

Effect of processing on rheological properties and structure development of EPOXY/MWCNT nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites of epoxy resin containing multiwall carbon nanotubes (external diameter ~30 ± 10 nm, approximate length 10–20 μm) are studied using a rheological approach to determine the stage of debundling of the nanofiller in the epoxy matrix and the development of the rheological properties and structure with time. The role of processing for nanotube dispersion and structure formation is also determined by polarized microscopy and Raman spectrometry. Functionalization with amine groups is applied for part of the samples (mixing the nanotubes in amine hardener followed by mixing in appropriate amounts of epoxy resin). Further on the experimental procedure has been optimized and samples within the concentration range from 0 to 1.0 wt% have been prepared by applying high speed mechanical mixing and ultrasonic treatment with power of 250 W. The results show that chemical functionalization with amine groups contributes to significant changes in the rheological properties and hence in the structure of the composites, as proved by Raman and POM results, indicating better deaggregation of the carbon nanotubes in the amine hardener and chemical bonding of the amine groups attached to the functionalized nanotube surface with the epoxy matrix. The evolution of the dynamic viscosity in the process of polymerization reveals some interesting aspects as retarded curing in the viscometer cell, compared to the control sample under the same conditions, prolonged polymerization time owing to the applied shear rates and carbon nanotube content.     

Investigation on resin interphase produced near silane-treated glass fiber in vinyl ester resin

In order to investigate the reaction of silane-treated glass fiber with thermosetting resin, a set of spectra were measured near the interface between the glass fiber and vinyl ester resin using microscopic FT-IR spectroscopy. A thin-sliced sample was made from glass fiber/vinyl ester resin composite to be subjected to the spectroscopy. The spectra were obtained through a 20 × 40 μm of a mask window at each 20 μm step from the glass strand area to the matrix resin. The intensity at 1450 cm^-1 of the spectra decreased from the glass strand area to the matrix resin. It was noticed, however, that the intensity kept the same value even in the matrix at a distance of 80 μm from the glass strand area. This meant that the resin in such an area was denatured by the reaction of silane to resin at the surface. This mechanism was supported by the significant size of the denatured area, which increased with amounts of silane at the surface of glass fiber.     

Tunable mechanical properties of MWCNT–glass fiber fabric reinforced epoxy composites by controlling MWCNTs dispersing conditions

A novel, simple and cost-effective method, which is capable of easily tailoring the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), was developed here to fabricate the MWCNT–glass fiber fabric (MWCNT–GFf) multiscale composites with tunable mechanical properties. MWCNTs were dispersed into the commercial GFfs through the combined effect of the ultrasound and amino silane (AS) firstly, followed by a resin infusion process. By tuning the ultrasonic power and AS concentration, it is possible to control the MWCNTs dispersion level and subsequently mechanical properties of resultant composite. Making use of optimal dispersion conditions, which involves the optimal combination of ultrasonic power and AS concentration, the interlaminar shear strength of MWCNT–GFf reinforced composites was dramatically increased by 40.5%, and the storage modulus in the glassy region and rubbery region was improved by 27.7% and 125.0%, respectively. The work demonstrates the great promise of this novel method toward practical, industrial application in manufacturing fiber-reinforced composites with superior mechanical properties.     

Micromechanical Behavior of Carbon Nanotube-Covered SiC Fibers in Polymer Matrix Composites

The incorporation of nanotube-covered fibers in continuous fiber/epoxy composites has been shown to influence the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the composite. Increased interlaminar shear stress, flexural strength and modulus have been reported in such composites over composites containing bare fibers. In this study, the microstructure and interfacial shear strength (ISS) of continuous silicon carbide fiber/epoxy composites with and without nanotubes grown from the SiC fiber surface were investigated with micro-Raman spectroscopy (MRS) and microscopy. The fibers with nanotubes grown from the surface were found to have a reduced ISS compared with the bare fibers. Electron microscopy showed good wetting of epoxy in the nanotube forests, but poor attachment of the nanotube forests to the fibers. These results suggest that the mechanism leading to improvements in bulk composite properties is not due to an improvement in the fiber/matrix ISS.     

The Influence of the Geometric Shape of Carbon Nanoparticles on the Strength Properties of Nanocomposite Materials Obtained by Filling an Epoxy Matrix

Abstract

The effects of filling an epoxy matrix modified with “Viniflex” with carbon nanotubes, fullerene C₆₀, or graphene on the mechanical properties, surface morphologies and glass transition temperatures of the composite materials obtained after curing were studied. It was shown that the largest decrease in glass transition temperature and an increase in impact strength was achieved by the introduction of 0.1 mass% graphene. Filling with graphene and carbon nanotubes increased the bending strength while filling with C₆₀ fullerenes provided the greatest compressive strength and elasticity modulus. An explanation of the results was based on ideas about the relationship of the geometrical shape of the nanofiller to the load direction and features of the phase composition of the composite materials. It is suggested that the carbon nanomaterials had a template effect on the packing of the epoxy matrix chains.     

Carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials cured thermally and with microwave irradiation

In this paper, composite materials of short carbon fibers (CFs) and a thermosetting epoxy were prepared in three different ways: without curing, thermal curing, and thermal curing followed by microwave irradiation. Mechanical properties of the three kinds of CF reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites were studied to explore the effect of microwave irradiation. Microscopic study with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was performed on fractured composite surfaces to identify the principle features of failure. Degree of polymerization of the epoxy resin in the three CFRP composites was evaluated by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The microwave irradiated CFRP exhibited mechanically ductile behavior even though its highest degree of polymerization. Use of microwaves and resultant stronger physico-chemical linkage at the interface between CF and epoxy resin are the main feature of this study.     

Influence of Fiber Surface Treatment on Mechanical Properties of CF/PET Composites

Carbon fiber (CF) / poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composites were prepared with various contents (2–15wt%) of short carbon fibers. To investigate the effect of surface treatment of the CF on the mechanical properties of the composites, three specimens were prepared; those with short carbon fibers (called SCF), short carbon fibers oxidized with nitric acid (called NASCF) and the fibers oxidized with nitric acid and treated with silane coupling agent (called SCSCF). Flexural, tensile and impact tests were performed to observe mechanical behavior of the specimens. The morphology of the specimens was also studied with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). SCSCF composite had better mechanical properties than the other composites with the same content of carbon fibers since the coupling agent resulted in better interfacial adhesion between the fiber and the matrix.     

Effect of surface treatment of nanoclay on the mechanical properties of epoxy/glass fiber/clay nanocomposites

A new method of silane treatment of nanoclays is reported where in the clay is nanodispersed in hydrolyzed silanes. The surface functionalization of Cloisite^® 15A nanoclay has been carried out using two different silane coupling agents: 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane and 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxy silane using varied amounts of silane coupling agents, e.g. 10, 50, 200, and 400 wt% of clay. The surface modification of Cloisite^® 15A has been confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The modified clays were then dispersed in epoxy resin, and glass fiber-reinforced epoxy clay laminates were manufactured using vacuum bagging technique. The fiber-reinforced epoxy clay nanocomposites containing silane modified clays have been characterized using small angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicate that the silane treatment of nanoclay aided the exfoliation of nanoclay and also led to an increase in mechanical properties. The optimized amount of silane coupling agents was 200 wt%. The nanocomposites containing clay modified in 200 wt% of silanes exhibited an exfoliated morphology, improved tensile strength, flexural modulus, and flexural strength. The improved interfacial bonding between silane modified nanoclays and epoxy matrix was also evident from significant increase in elongation at break.     

Effect of silane/nano-silica on the mechanical properties of basalt fiber reinforced epoxy composites

The present study explains the role of surface modification of constituent materials on composite material performance. The influence of silane and nano-hybrid coatings on mechanical properties of basalt fibers and composite materials on their base was investigated. Infrared spectroscopy indicated that modification of basalt fiber surface and nano-SiO₂ was successfully applied. The surface modification leads to the significant increase in the tensile strength of basalt fibers compared to the non-coated fibers. The tensile strength of silane-treated fibers was established 23% higher than the non-coated fibers, indicating that silane plays a critical role in the strength retention of basalt fibers. Also it was pointed out that silane coupling agents can be used for the preparation of the nano-hybrid coating. Addition of SiO₂ nanoparticles into the fiber surface was incorporated to enhance the interfacial bonding of basalt fiber reinforced epoxy composite.     

Synthesis and Properties of Amine-Cured Epoxy/Organophilic Layered Silicate Nanocomposites

Epoxy-layered silicate composites have been prepared by dispersing an organically modified montmorillonite (Nanofil 919) in an epoxy resin and curing in the presence of an aromatic hardener. Dispersion of the layered silicate within the epoxy matrix was verified using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealing that interaction improves upon organic silicate modification. Flexural properties and toughness increase with the organic silicate loading whereas glass transition temperature decreases and thermal stability remains practically unmodified.     

Conduction noise absorption by fiber-reinforced epoxy composites with carbon nanotubes

Nearly all electronic equipment is susceptible to malfunction as a result of electromagnetic interference. In this study, glass fiber, and carbon fiber as a type reinforcement and epoxy as a matrix material were used to fabricate composite materials. In an attempt to increase the conduction noise absorption, carbon nanotubes were grown on the surface of glass fibers and carbon fibers. A microstrip line with characteristic impedance of 50 Ω in connection with network analyzer was used to measure the conduction noise absorption. In comparing a glass fiber/epoxy composite with a GF-CNT/Ep composite, it was demonstrated that the CNTs significantly influence the noise absorption property mainly due to increase in electric conductivity. In the carbon fiber composites, however, the effectiveness of CNTs on the degree of electric conductivity is negligible, resulting in a small change in reflection and transmission of an electromagnetic wave.