Role of Polysaccharides-Based Green Filler on Mechanical Properties and Scratch Resistance of Epoxy Composites

Gum acacia (GA) reinforced epoxy composites were characterized for their mechanical and structural properties.In compression test, increasing trend of modulus and decreasing trend of strength and toughness led to the optimized composition of 10 wt.% of GA in epoxy (GA-10).Increased modulus could be due to the intermolecular bonding through polar group interaction between SU-8 and GA molecules.This interaction was confirmed by -OH peak reduction in FTIR analysis.Modulus increase could also be due to the presence of rigid GA particles, but the decrease in strength and toughness was attributed to the presence of voids and high-stress concentration points around GA particles.Vickers hardness increased by 17.8% for GA-10 compared to pure SU-8.Both scratch width and depth were lower for GA-10 than SU-8 except at 400 g load.These results project GA as a choice of filler to improve mechanical properties and scratch resistance of polymers.