Fracture behavior of hybrid epoxy nanocomposites based on multi-walled carbon nanotube and core-shell rubber

摘要

The dispersion of nanoparticles plays a key role in enhancing the mechanical performance of polymer nanocomposites.In this work,one hybrid epoxy nanocomposite reinforced by a well dispersed,zinc oxide functionalized,multi-wall carbon nanotube (Zn O-MWCNT) and core-shell rubber (CSR) was prepared,which possesses both high modulus and fracture toughness while maintaining relatively high glass transition temperature (Tg).The improved fracture toughness from 0.82 MPa mfor neat epoxy to 1.46 MPa mfor the ternary epoxy nanocomposites is resulted from a series of synergistic toughening mechanisms,including cavitation of CSR-induced matrix shear banding,along with the fracture of MWCNTs and crack deflection.The implication of the present study for the preparation of high-performance polymer nanocomposites is discussed.