Influence of Al2O3 - nano filler on the Vachellia Nilotica blended hybrid epoxy composites: a comprehensive analysis of mechanical, viscoelastic, and dielectric behavior

This work presents the influence of Alumina (Al2O3) Nano powder on the mechanical, dynamic, and dielectric properties of the hybrid epoxy resin composite material containing Vachellia nilotica (VN). The hand lay up method was used to make the composite specimens at different volume fractions of the alumina nano particle filler (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 v/v%). The Vachellia nilotica content was kept at 12 v/v% in all the samples remaining being epoxy resin. The experimental results indicate that the composite with 9 v/v% Al2O3 showed better mechanical and dielectric properties when compared to other volume percentages. The epoxy composite with the highest glass transition temperature and storage modulus was also the one containing 9 v/v% nano filler. Furthermore, the dielectric test demonstrated that the addition of the nano filler strengthened the dielectric strength of the composite. The structural morphology of the composite's tensile fracture was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the interaction between the epoxy matrix and the fillers in the hybrid composites.