Investigations on effect of amine functionalised graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNPs) reinforcement on mechanical properties of epoxy resin

Graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNPs) are emerging nanofillers with appealing attributes, such as strong compatibility with a wide range of polymers, exceptional overall strength, and cost-efficiency. This research examines the influence of varying weight fractions of functionalised graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNPs) on the mechanical properties of epoxy resin. Various weight fractions of f-GNPs namely 0.2 %, 0.4 %,0.6 %,0.8 %,1 % and 5 % are added to epoxy resin. Combination of ultra-sonication and magnetic stirring was used for dispersing f-GNPs in epoxy resin. f-GNPs reinforcement showed improvement in tensile strength on epoxy except for 1 % and 5 % weight fractions. Dispersion of f-GNPs is found to be superior at lower f-GNPs concentrations. The experimental results reveal that incorporating f-GNPs enhances the ultimate tensile strength of epoxy resin by 11.79 %, 12.47 %, 10.12 %, and 13.31 % at weight fractions of 0.2 %, 0.4 %, 0.6 %, and 0.8 %, respectively. This confirms the beneficial impact of amine-functionalised graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNPs) on epoxy resin. The highest improvement, 13.31 %, was achieved at 0.8 % f-GNPs, making it the optimal loading, which was subsequently utilized in the development of multiscale f-GNPs-reinforced Glass/Epoxy composites. This study also presents a detailed FTIR, LRS, XRD, TEM, SEM characterization of amine functionalised graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNPs). • Addition of f-GNPs to epoxy resin improves tensile strength, except at higher concentrations (1 % and 5 %). • f-GNPs show better dispersion at lower concentrations, leading to more efficient reinforcement in epoxy. • Comprehensive evaluation through FTIR, XRD, TEM, and SEM reveals insights into the functionalization and dispersion of f-GNPs.