Abstract
The present study focuses on development of epoxy system reinforced with naturally occurring halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). A comparative study is presented describing the performance of pristine and gamma-irradiated HNTs in an epoxy matrix. The gamma-irradiation treatment was used for structural modification of natural pristine HNTs under air sealed environment at different absorbed doses and subsequently these irradiated HNTs were incorporated in epoxy resin with various wt% loadings. The consequences of gamma-irradiation on HNTs were studied by FTIR and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) in terms of changes in functional groups and crystalline characteristics. An improvement is observed in mechanical properties and crack resistance of composites reinforced with gamma-irradiated HNTs. The irradiated HNTs imparted an improved flexural and tensile strength/modulus along with better thermal performance. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.