Study of mechanical properties of epoxy/graphene and epoxy/halloysite nanocomposites

Abstract This article aimed to compare various mechanical properties of epoxy/graphene and epoxy/halloysite nanocomposites. Graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were used as fillers at different concentrations. The studied fillers were dispersed in the epoxy resin matrices. Elastic–plastic mechanical behavior modulation was observed utilizing the fillers’ nanoparticles and carboxyl-terminated butadiene–acrylonitrile copolymer rubber-modified epoxy resin. The hypothesis of the possible preceding inter-particle gliding of the individual GnPs in the complex resin nanocomposite matrix during mechanical testings was also confirmed. Increased ductility (elongation at break increased from 0.33 mm [neat matrix] to 0.46 mm [1 wt% GnPs] [39% increase]) and plasticity of the GnP nanocomposite samples were observed. In contrast, the decreasing mechanical stiffness as reflected in the decreased Young’s modulus of elasticity (from 3.4 to 2.7 GPa [20% decrease]) was found for the epoxy/HNT nanocomposites. The obtained dynamic stiffness of the investigated nanocomposites confirmed the complexity of the mechanical response of the studied material systems as a combination of the ductile and brittle phenomena.