Investigation of the Effect of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Addition on the Mechanical Properties of Flax Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has recently been utilized as a reinforcement in composite materials due to its properties such as hardness, thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and strong chemical stability. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of nano-sized hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on the mechanical properties of flax fiber-reinforced composite material. For this purpose, initially, hexagonal boron nitride was added to epoxy resin in different weight ratios and homogenized without agglomeration using ultrasonic treatment. Then, by employing the hand lay-up method, the mixture was applied to flax fiber fabrics and the flax fiber-epoxy composites were produced using the vacuum bagging method. Mechanical performance of the composites, produced with 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% by weight of hexagonal boron nitride, was determined through tensile, flexural, shear, and compression tests. Experimental results indicated that the addition of hexagonal boron nitride to flax fiber epoxy composite material increased the flexural strength and modulus compared to the unreinforced flax fiber epoxy composite material. The highest flexural strength and modulus were observed in the samples with 1.5% by weight of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Consequently, it can be considered that flax fiber-epoxy composite material with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) addition holds potential, especially for applications subjected to bending moments.