Mechanical and thermal characterization of epoxy/polysulfide polymer blend-based nanocomposites filled with alumina trihydrate nanoparticles

This research aims to characterize the mechanical and thermal properties of a blend of epoxy (EPR) and polysulfide (PS) that incorporates alumina trihydrate (ATH) nanoparticles (NPs). The purpose is to investigate the effect of adding NPs on the properties of the resulting epoxy-polymer blends. The polymer blend nanocomposites (PBNCs) were prepared from EPR and PS by adding different concentrations (1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 5 wt.%) of ATH NPs. The hand lay-up molding method was utilized to prepare the samples. The mechanical and thermal characteristics of the specimens have been studied. The structure and formation of the blend (EPR/PS) and the dispersion of NPs inside the blend and epoxy were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical behaviour through tensile, flexural, and hardness tests was carried out on polymer blends and composites. The results show that the maximum toughness for PBNCs and EPR NCs was recorded at 5 wt% ATH NPs, exhibiting enhancements of 54.22% and 206.5% above pure EPR, respectively. Maximum elongation at break is observed at 5 wt.% of ATH nanoparticles, with increases of 312.45% and 425.36% for PBNC and EPR nanocomposites, respectively, in comparison to EPR. The maximum hardness is 86.26 at 5 wt.% of ATH nanoparticles for EPR nanocomposites. While the maximum flexural strength (75.05 MPa) and flexural modulus (2406.69 MPa) for EPR NCs exhibited increases of 20.62% and 37%, respectively, in comparison to EPR (1756.73 MPa). The XRD pattern showed a favourable interaction among the components in the EPR/PS blend and the NCs. SEM micrographs revealed that the blend has a single face, and the NPs were effectively dispersed into the prepared composites. The examination of thermogravimetric analysis-derivative thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG) data indicates that the enhanced thermal stability of EPRNCs and PBNCs contrasts with that of the EPR/PS blend.