Study on preparation and properties of bentonite-modified epoxy sheet molding compound

Abstract

In this study, bentonite/epoxy sheet molding compound composites (BS/ESMC) were prepared with different bentonite contents (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 5, and 10 wt%) by hot compression molding. The effects of BS content on the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and fire-retardant properties of samples were investigated. When the BS addition amount is 1.5%, the tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength reach the maximum, increasing by 24.15%, 26.56%, and 51.33%, respectively. The measurement of mechanical properties showed that the fracture toughness of BS/ESMC composite has been greatly improved from 71.41 to 108.07 MPa. As the content of the bentonite increases, the heat resistance of the sample increases, and the residual carbon content of the system increases by 61.54% when the amount of the bentonite added is 10%. In addition, the value of LOI increased from 25.6 to 27.9 with the addition of the bentonite.