Enhancing mechanical properties of graphene / epoxy nanocomposites using few-layer graphene produced by liquid phase exfoliation

In this study, few-layer graphenes (FLGs) were produced by new liquid phase exfoliation (LPE), exfoliation of graphite with weak acid salts. A high concentration dispersion of FLGs in low-boiling point solvents is successfully carried out, achieved by binding molecules with a dispersing function. And then graphene/epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated and tensile properties were evaluated in order to understand the effect of FLGs introduced into the resin. Graphene/epoxy nanocomposite showed improved mechanical properties. Tensile strength and fracture strain were increased by 11.5% and 55.6% compared with as-received one's. Especially, the improvement of fracture strain was outstanding, which indicated that adding FLGs had a positive impact on suppressing effect on crack propagation and improving fracture toughness of matrix resin. These beneficial results were derived from crack trapping by uniformly dispersed FLGs.