1 research outputs found
Effects of Inorganic Fillers on Toughening of Vinyl Ester Resins by Modified Graphene Oxide
Graphene-based
nanomaterials show great potential as tougheners for thermosetting
resins because they offer effective toughening of resins at an extremely
low loading level with minimal change in <i>T</i><sub>g</sub> or modulus. However, commercial resin formulations sometimes contain
inorganic fillers that could affect the toughening behavior of graphene-based
additives. In this study, the effects of combining modified graphene
oxide (mGO) with several widely used filler materials (fumed silica,
kaolin clay, and calcium carbonate) on toughening of vinyl ester resins
was evaluated. The relative size of additional filler particles compared
to mGO particles strongly influences the toughening effects. mGO can
toughen the resin if the other filler particles are much smaller and
well dispersed. In contrast, the addition of mGO to filler-containing
vinyl ester resin may decrease the fracture toughness if it reduces
the size of the filler inclusion. Therefore, it is important to know
the behavior of a filler in a resin before applying graphene-based
toughener to it