Synergetic effects of graphene nanoplatelets/montmorillonite on their dispersion and mechanical properties of the epoxy-based nanocomposite: Modeling and experiments

Abstract

The mechanical properties of nanocomposites are significantly affected by the dispersion of nanofillers. In this study, the synergetic effect of hybrid fillers, including surfacemodified montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the dispersion quality and mechanical characteristics of epoxy-based nanocomposites was investigated. It was manifested that the incorporation of GNPs-MMT hybrid into pure epoxy improves the dispersion of nanoplatelets and consequently, the tensile and flexural properties. The maximum tensile and flexural strength was obtained for the sample containing 0.15 wt% GNPs and 1 wt% MMT that was 19% and 17.4% higher than the neat epoxy, respectively. The experimental analyses were followed by Mori–Tanaka, Halpin–Tsai, and two-parameter Weibull distribution methods to model the mechanical behavior of nanocomposites. The modeling and experimental results as well as the microscopic analysis revealed the variation of toughening mechanisms from micro to nano scale.