Differential Effects of Adding Graphene Nanoplatelets on the Mechanical Properties and Crystalline Behavior of Polypropylene Composites Reinforced with Carbon Fiber or Glass Fiber

Short fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (SFRTPs) have excellent recyclability and processability, but their mechanical properties are weak compared to continuous fiber products. Various studies have reported that the addition of GNPs improves the mechanical properties of SFRTPs, but it is unclear what effect different types of reinforcing fibers have on a hybrid composite system. In this study, the effect of adding a small amount (1 wt%) of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) to fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites on their mechanical properties was investigated from a crystallinity perspective. GNPs were mixed with polypropylene (PP)/carbon fiber (CF) or PP/glass fiber (GF) using a melt blending process, and composites were molded by injection molding. The results of mechanical property characterization showed no significant effect when GNPs were added to PP/CF, but when GNPs were added to PP/GF, this increased the composite's tensile strength and Young's modulus by approximately 20% and 10%, respectively. The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) predicted using the modified Kelly-Tyson equation did not change much before and after the addition of GNPs to PP/CF. On the other hand, the IFSS increased from 10.8 MPa to 19.2 MPa with the addition of GNPs to PP/GF. The increase in IFSS led to an increase in the tensile strength of PP/GF with the incorporation of GNPs. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that GNPs accelerated the crystallization rate, and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed that GNPs acted as a crystal nucleating agent. However, CF was also shown to be a nucleating agent, limiting the effect of GNP addition. In other words, it can be said that the addition of GNPs to PP/GF is more effective than their addition to PP/CF due to the differential crystallization effects of each fiber.