Enhancement of the hardness and impact strength of epoxy-based metal oxide nanocomposites through hybridization

Abstract

In this study, hybrid polymer nanocomposites were produced by combining epoxy (EP) with varying amounts of zirconia (ZrO[Formula: see text] and yttria (Y2O[Formula: see text] nanoparticles (NPs), reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and glass fiber (GF). The objective of this study is to develop and examine the performance of EP nanocomposites through hybridization; for this purpose, hardness and impact tests were conducted in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Different sets were produced to investigate the effect of used fillers, including EP/ZrO2, EP/Y2O3, EP/MWCNT, EP/GF, EP/ZrO2/Y2O3, EP/MWCNT/ZrO2/Y2O3, and EP/MWCNT/GF/ZrO2/Y2O3. All findings were compared with the net EP sample. The results showed that the EP nanocomposite samples with low NPs content exhibit much higher mechanical performance than net EP. Furthermore, the additions of MWCNT and GF separately at 0.1 and 0.06[Formula: see text]wt.% have increased the impact strength, respectively, to 165.2% and 338.8%, compared with pure EP. As a result, the presence of MWCNTs and GF in the EP-based nanocomposite matrix could make the product both stronger and tougher.