The Effect of Nano Nickel Oxide(n-NiO) on the Hardness properties of As-Cast and Cured Nano Composite

In recent advancements in material science, there is a trend toward replacing existing single-phase materials with composites for enhanced control over properties.This study focuses on developing a reinforced composite using Nano Nickel Oxide(n-NiO) within an epoxy resin matrix to enhance its mechanical properties.The aim is to investigate how the matrix material affects the density, hardness of the developed composites.Composites were fabricated using a stirred dispersion with resin casting, adhering to ASTM standards for specimen preparation and testing.Tests were conducted at room temperature and under Cured conditions.Results indicate that incorporating n-NiO significantly improves the mechanical properties of epoxy resin.Magnetic stirring facilitated the homogeneous distribution of n-NiO within the epoxy matrix, followed by curing at ambient temperature.For comparative analysis, some composites underwent additional thermal curing at 80°C for 40 minutes.The impact of varying n-NiO concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%) on the composite's properties was assessed.The curing process employed K6 hardener in a weight ratio of 1:10.Mechanical attributes such as Density, Hardness were evaluated.The composite with 1.5% n-NiO exhibited optimal enhancement in all measured properties compared to neat epoxy resin.This study concludes that the inclusion of n-NiO significantly augments the mechanical performance of the epoxy-based composite material.