F. Marra

Electromagnetic and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Epoxy and Vinylester-Based Composites Filled with Graphene Nanoplatelets

Development of epoxy or epoxy-based vinyl ester composites with improved mechanical and electromagnetic properties, filled with carbon-based nanomaterials, is of crucial interest for use in aerospace applications as radar absorbing materials at radio frequency. Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that the effective functional properties of this class of polymer composites are strongly dependent on the production process, which affects the dispersion of the nanofiller in the polymer matrix and the formation of micro-sized aggregations, degrading the final properties of the composite. The assessment of the presence of nanofiller aggregation in a composite through microscopy investigations is quite inefficient in the case of large scale applications, and in general provides local information about the aggregation state of the nanofiller rather than an effective representation of the degradation of the functional properties of the composite due to the presence of the aggregates. In this paper, we investigate the mechanical, electrical, and electromagnetic properties of thermosetting polymer composites filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). Moreover, we propose a novel approach based on measurements of the dielectric permittivity of the composite in the 8–12 GHz range in order to assess the presence of nanofiller aggregates and to estimate their average size and dimensions.

Electromagnetic wave absorption and structural properties of wide-band absorber made of graphene-printed glass-fibre composite

Lightweight composites combining electromagnetic wave absorption and excellent mechanical properties are required in spacecraft and aircraft. A one- dimensional metamaterial absorber consisting of a stack of glass fibre/epoxy layers and graphene nanoplatelets/epoxy films was proposed and fabricated through a facile air-spraying based printing technology and a liquid resin infusion method. The production process allows an optimum dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets, promoting adhesion and mechanical integration of the glass fibre/epoxy layers with the graphene nanoplatelets/epoxy films. According to experimental results, the proposed wide-band absorber provides a reflection coefficient lower than −10 dB in the range 8.5–16.7 GHz and an improvement of flexural modulus of more than 15%, with a total thickness of ∼1 mm. Outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption and mechanical performance make the proposed absorber more competitive in aeronautical and aerospace applications.

Electrical, Mechanical and Electromechanical Properties of Graphene-Thermoset Polymer Composites Produced Using Acetone-DMF Solvents

Recently, graphene-polymer composites gained a central role in advanced stress and strain sensing. A fundamental step in the production of epoxy-composites filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) consists in the exfoliation and dispersion of expanded graphite in a proper solvent, in the mixing of the resulting GNP suspension with the polymer matrix, and in the final removal of the solvent from the composite before curing through evaporation. The effects of traces of residual solvent on polymer curing process are usually overlooked, even if it has been found that even a small amount of residual solvent can affect the mechanical properties of the final composite. In this paper, we show that residual traces of N,N′-Dimethylformamide (DMF) in vinylester epoxy composites can induce relevant variations of the electrical, mechanical and electromechanical properties of the cured GNP-composite. To this purpose, a complete analysis of the morphological and structural characteristics of the composite samples produced using different solvent mixtures (combining acetone and DMF) is performed. Moreover, electrical, mechanical and electromechanical properties of the produced composites are assessed. In particular, the effect on the piezoresistive response of the use of DMF in the solvent mixture is analyzed using an experimental strain dependent percolation law to fit the measured electromechanical data. It is shown that the composites realized using a higher amount of DMF are characterized by a higher electrical conductivity and by a strong reduction of Young’s Modulus.

Fabrication of carbon-based nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical and electromagnetic properties

Epoxy-based vinyl ester nanocomposites filled with graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) are developed for applications as radar absorbing materials at radio frequency. The main scope of this study is the scale-up of the fabrication process of nanocomposites with improved mechanical and electromagnetic properties, for large-scale aeronautical application. To this purpose the use of commercially available GNP-powders is investigated. The percolation curve of the nanocomposite is derived from measurements of the DC conductivity for increasing filler concentration. DMA analyses are performed in order to investigate the mechanical properties of the material. The obtained results demonstrate a good correlation between the electrical and mechanical properties of the produced material.