Hardness and tensile strength of carbon nanoparticle-lithium borate composites

Carbon nanoparticle (CNP)-lithium borate glass composites are synthesised by melt-quenching technique to study the influence of CNPs addition on the mechanical properties of the primary glass. Three different glass composites are fabricated by varying the weight% of CNPs. The hardness and tensile strength are found to increase by 2.65 times the primary glass with the addition of 0.4 weight% of CNPs. The homogeneous dispersion and close-packing of nanoparticles achieved in the resultant glass matrix account for this improvement. The closed-packed structure reduces the free volume between molecules, thereby limiting their movement and enhancing interfacial bonding. The formation of such a cross-linked structure with the addition of CNPs is supported by density measurements, electron microscopy images, and glass transition temperature studies.