Abstract
Vinylester nanocomposites with graphene and carbon nanotubes were investigated regarding thermal and viscoelastic behaviour, flexural properties, hardness, scratch resistance and electrical conductivity. The latter showed a percolation threshold for the graphene nanocomposites at ∼2 wt-%, whereas the nanotube system exhibited this transition at 0·03 wt-%. Investigations (SEM) by charge contrast imaging demonstrated a high degree of dispersion of both fillers, with the formation of a continuous percolation network. Quantitative tests regarding the corrosion resistance revealed that the conductive hybrid composites, applied as a coating to a metal substrate, exhibited a better performance than the neat vinylester.