The synergistic effect of hybridizing and aligning graphene oxide nanoplatelets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes on mode-I fracture behavior of nanocomposite adhesive joints

Abstract

The synergistic effect of hybridizing and aligning graphene oxide nanoplatelet (GONP) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on the mode-I fracture response of glass fiber/epoxy nanocomposite adhesive was studied. Different mixtures of nanofillers with aligned and random orientations and different mixing ratios and weight percentages were used for fabricating the reinforced nanocomposite adhesive joints. The results showed that the hybridization of MWCNTs and GONPs can considerably enhance the fracture behavior of nanocomposite adhesive joints providing that the appropriate hybrid ratio and weight percentage (wt%) were employed. It was found out that hybridizing one-third GONPs and two-thirds MWCNTs with 0.3 total nanofiller wt% caused 90% further improvement in the fracture energy of adhesive compared to the adhesive reinforced with merely MWCNTs at the same total nanofiller wt%. Furthermore, aligning nanofillers with electrical field resulted in more than twice the higher enhancement in the fracture energy of adhesive. Moreover, assessing the fracture surfaces of the unreinforced and reinforced specimens revealed that the type of reinforcement can affect the failure pattern of the adhesive joints.