Tensile and Flexural Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

Composite materials are extensively utilized across various fields such as engineering, aviation, automotive, construction, and healthcare. This widespread application highlights their superior properties, often absent in the individual constituent materials. Additionally, composites offer the advantage of being easily fabricated to meet specific requirements, and incorporating natural fibers as reinforcement has gained significant interest due to their environmental friendliness and abundance. Among these, nanocellulose is a promising green material due to its unique characteristics. Specifically, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), nanoscale derivatives of nanocellulose, have attracted considerable attention as reinforcement agents in composite fabrication. This interest stems from CNC's notable advantages, including excellent mechanical properties, a high crystallinity index, plentiful availability, low weight, and eco-friendly nature. This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of varying concentrations of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) (0, 0.5, 0.75, 1 wt%) on the mechanical properties, specifically the tensile and flexural properties, of epoxy resin/cellulose nanocrystal (E/CNC) nanocomposites. The materials employed in this research include epoxy resin, hardener, and cellulose nanocrystals. The fabrication of the E/CNC nanocomposites was carried out through a straightforward mixing method, wherein the constituent materials were blended following the defined experimental parameters, followed by the molding process. The findings of this study indicate that the incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) significantly enhances the mechanical properties of E/CNC nanocomposites. The E/0.75CNC nanocomposite showed optimal tensile strength (39.91 MPa; +4.95%), while E/1CNC exhibited superior flexural strength (65.78 MPa; +5.08%) compared to the unmodified epoxy baseline.