Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelets on Water Absorption Properties of Coconut Shell Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composites

Abstract

Coconut shell (CS) reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPE) composites have been prepared by using hand lay-up and compression molding techniques. To improve fiber-matrix adhesion, the CS was chemically treated by two chemical treatments, which are alkali (NaOH) and alkali-silane with concentration NaOH (6%) and silane (2%). To enhance the performance of CS-UPE composites, graphene nano platelets (GNP) was also added as nanofiller. The water absorption tests were conducted to characterize the physical properties of the composites. The result shows that water absorption increases with the increasing GNP. The more adding of GNP fillers' weight percentages, the higher the water absorption will be getting.