Chemical changes and tensile and electrical properties of epoxy resin carbon black nanocomposites

Abstract

The properties of epoxy rsesin can be improved by the use of nanofiller such as carbon black (CB), The nanocomposite was synthesized by dispersion via sonication and shear mixing. The morphology, surface chemistry and the structure of CB and the epoxy/CB nanocomposites were investigated using XPS, FTIR, FESEM, and XRD. The FTIR spectrum indicates nucleophilic addition in the presence of CB nanoparticles forming hydroxyl functional group. The XRD pattern shows a slight shift in the morphology between the neat epoxy and the epoxy/CB nanocomposites. The percolation threshold is at 20 – 24 wt% loading. The resistivity of the nanocomposite decreases with CB loading from 90 Ωcm to 0.3 Ωcm at 25 wt% of CB. The Tensile strength was increased by about 42 % at 2 wt%. However, at the percolation threshold (20- 25 wt% CB) the tensile strength was very poor at 1-2 MPa.

Keywords: Carbon Black; Epoxy Resin; Resistivity; Nanocomposite; Tensile Strength.