Enhanced Durability of Graphene-Based Epoxy Films

Abstract

Graphene-based nanoparticles are suitable to enhance toughness related to impact, fracture and fatigue of epoxy nanocomposites to make them able to meet industrial requirements. The increase in the mechanical performance of graphene-based films is well known in the literature. This paper highlights an additional beneficial effect of graphene-based nanoparticles, which is related to the increase of the photooxidative resistance of polymeric films. Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) have been incorporated, at different weight percentages, in the epoxy films. Unfilled and nanofilled films (30 ± 1.5 μm thick) have been subjected to the accelerated photo-oxidative degradation by exposing them to UV-A radiation (295–380 nm). AFM-Harmonix modulus maps at the micro and nanoscale level have been detected to investigate the effect of graphene nanoparticle on the mechanical properties of untreated and UV treated unfilled and nanofilled samples. SEM analysis has been used to analyse the effect of graphene on morphological features of the film surface. UV irradiation determines relevant damages of the mechanical properties and morphological feature of the unfilled sample. The experiments carried out on the nanofilled films show that GNPs, dispersed in the epoxy-based films, determine a strong decrease in the entity of the damages of the film surfaces.