Impact on mechanical and thermal characteristics of epoxy nanocomposites by waste derived carbon nanotubes, carbon black, and hybrid CNT/FCB reinforcing materials

Abstract

AbstractIn this present investigation, epoxy nanocomposites were formulated with multiwalled carbon nanotubes derived from plastic (p‐MWCNTs), carbon black from tires (t‐CB), and a combination of p‐MWCNTs and functionalized carbon black (FCB). A comparative analysis was conducted between the properties of the original composites and epoxy nanocomposites containing a mixture of carbon nanotube (CNT) and FCB. Morphology, carbon content, and oxide content of CB and FCB were assessed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (EDS or EDX). The dispersion of CNT and the CNT/FCB blend in water was observed using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS). Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x‐ray diffraction analyses were performed on CNT, CB, and FCB to comprehend the presence of functional groups and structural changes with chemical treatment. The nanocomposites were created by employing diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGBEA) epoxy resin through a simple sonication and casting method. The tensile strength of CNT/FCB epoxy composites showed a significant increase, rising from 66.26 MPa to 158.48 MPa, marking a 139.17% improvement over pure epoxy. This improvement is likely due to the bonding interaction between the epoxy, FCB, and CNTs which resulted a uniform dispersion of fillers onto epoxy matrix. Conversely, the impact strength initially increased from 112.84 J/m (pure epoxy) to 144.05 J/m (FCB), but then decreased to 115.7 J/m for CNT/FCB composites. FCB demonstrated a 27.65% increase in impact strength compared to pure epoxy. Moreover, the thermal stability of the samples exhibited improvement from neat epoxy to CNT/FCB‐based nanocomposites.Highlights Oxygen content of CB increased from 25.17% to 54.60%. CNT/FCB epoxy composites exhibited a 139.17% increase in tensile strength. FCB epoxy composites shows 27.65% increase in impact strength. Thermal stability of CNT/FCB composites increased by 1.89%. Crosslinking via covalent bonding occurred between FCB and epoxy.