Graphene oxide/vinyl ester resin nanocomposite: the effect of graphene oxide, curing kinetics and mechanical properties

摘要

Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized and nanocomposites were prepared using different contents of the GO and vinyl ester resin (VE). The nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the cure kinetics of VE and 0.3wt% GO/VE nanocomposite. Kissinger and Ozawa equations were used to determine the activation energy (Ea). The Ea values of the cured GO/VE nanocomposite showed a decrease with respect to the neat VE. It is concluded that GO has a catalytic effect in the cure reaction. The dynamic curing process was modeled to predict the degree of curing and curing rate of resin. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was studied to discern the surface features and dispersion of GO. The glass transition temperature (Tg) was obtained from the maximum peak temperature of the loss factor curve. The Tg was increased by nearly 10°C by the addition of 0.4 wt% GO to VE. Tensile mechanical tests were studied and the nanocomposite of 0.3 wt% GO/VE showed higher elongation and tensile strength.