Dibakar Behera

BisGMA/EPDM/amine functionalised MWCNTs based nanocomposites

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the development and study properties of bisphenol-A glycidyldimethacrylate (BisGMA) and ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) blend-based nanocomposites containing amine-functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-NH2) as a compatibiliser. Design/methodology/approach – First, BisGMA was synthesised from epoxy and methacrylic acid followed by the amine functionalisation of MWCNTs. A novel two-roll milling technique was then conducted to prepare nanocomposite specimens with MWCNT-NH2 as compatibiliser. Effect of MWCNT-NH2 content on the mechanical, thermal, electrical, corrosive and water absorption properties of the nanocomposites was investigated and results have been reported. Findings – The results of the present work reveal that MWCNT-NH2 acts as a potential compatibiliser and nanofiller in BisGMA/EPDM blend-based nanocomposites. The authors report here that the nanocomposites exhibit improved mechanical, thermal and electrical properties with increased a...

BisGMA/jute fibre/fly ash hybrid composites

Purpose – This paper aims to prepare BisGMA (bisphenol-A glycidyldimethacrylate)/jute fibre/fly ash hybrid composites with improved mechanical and corrosive properties. Design/methodology/approach – BisGMA prepolymer was first synthesised using diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A and methacrylic acid. Then 2-hydroxy ethylacrylate-treated jute fibre and sodium hydroxide-treated fly ash were incorporated in the fabrication of composites using dicumyl peroxide, cobalt naphthenate and N,N-dimethyl aniline as catalyst, accelerator and promoter, respectively. The composition of BisGMA, jute fibre and fly ash was kept constant, whereas treated and untreated jute fibre and fly ash were used alternatively. Findings – Treatment of both jute and fly ash leads to improved mechanical properties of composites. However, treated fabric plays a dominant role compared to treated fly ash as filler. Among all the composites, the one having both treated jute fibre and treated fly ash is the most suitable composite for structural ...

Vinyl Ester (BisGMA)/SEBS/f-MWCNTs Based Nanocomposites: Preparation and Applications

The present research focuses mainly on the preparation of Vinyl ester/SEBS blend based nanocomposites incorporated with amine functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-NH2) as the compatibilizer. The vinyl ester used in this work is Bisphenol-A glycidyldimethacrylate (BisGMA) which has been blended with a block copolymer i.e. Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene (SEBS). Owing to the difference in their solubility parameters, the two polymeric components i.e. BisGMA and SEBS form an immiscible blend system. Since the solubility parameter value of MWCNTs-NH2 is intermediate between that of the immiscible components, it has been used to overcome the immiscibility factor, thereby inducing compatibility in the above blend network. Here, two types of nanocomposites have been fabricated for a comparative study: BisGMA/ungrafted SEBS/f-MWCNTs and BisGMA/maleic anhydride grafted SEBS (MAH-g-SEBS)/f-MWCNTs. The preparation techniques for the above nanocomposites have been described, the materials that have been incorporated and the fabricated nanocomposites have been characterized thoroughly using various characterization techniques and the reaction mechanism of compatibilization has been studied. Moreover, the wide range of applications that the nanocomposites can be suitable of have also been mentioned in details.

Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes-Reinforced Vinylester/Epoxy Blend Based Nanocomposites: Enhanced Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical Properties

This paper presents a study on the mechanical, thermal, and electrical characterization of a new class of low cost multiphase nanocomposites consisting of Vinylester resin/epoxy (VER/EP) blend (40 : 60 w/w) reinforced with amine functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs). Five different sets of VER/EP nanocomposites are fabricated with addition of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt.% of f-MWCNTs. A detailed investigation of mechanical properties like tensile strength, impact strength, Young’s modulus, and hardness, thermal properties like thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermal conductivity, electrical properties like dielectric strength, dielectric constant, and electrical conductivity, and corrosive and swelling properties of the nanocomposites has been carried out. Here, we report significant improvement in all the above properties of the fabricated nanocomposites with nanofiller (f-MWCNTs) addition compared to the virgin blend (0 wt. nanofiller loading). The properties are best observed in case of 5 wt.% nanofiller loading with gradual deterioration thereafter which may be due to the nucleating tendency of the nanofiller particles. Thus the above nanocomposites could be a preferable candidate for a wide range of structural, thermal, electrical, and solvent based applications.