Effect of Graphene Nano Platelets on Mechanical and Physical Properties of Carbon Fibre/Epoxy Hybrid Composites

In this study, laminates of neat carbon fibre/epoxy composite (A0) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP)-filled carbon fibre/epoxy composites, designated as A-1, A-2, and A-3 (0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 wt.% of GNP, respectively) were prepared by hand layup technique. The effect of different weight percentages of GNP on mechanical, and physical properties were investigated. A-2 shows the higher tensile, flexural, shear, and impact strength and also Rockwell hardness (HRE) as compared to A-0, A-1, and A-3, respectively. It was found that above 0.5 wt.% of GNP, mechanical properties were decreased due to agglomeration of nanoparticles in the composites. The maximum value of tensile strength was obtained at 0.5 wt.% of GNP (A-2), which is 11% higher than A-0 and there is an 18% increment in flexural strength from A-2 to A-0 composite samples. For the evaluation of morphological properties, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was performed. Proper dispersion and identification of nanoparticles were observed by SEM images of different weight percentages of composites. Water absorption and density measurements were also performed. A-2 has less void content compared to other hybrid composites.