Abstract
Objective:
In this work, graphene (Gr) or/and Cu particles are used to improve the thermal
and mechanical properties of epoxy resin.
Methods:
Various contents of Gr powder (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt%), and Cu powder (10, 30, and 50
wt%) were loaded to epoxy to form Gr/epoxy and Cu/epoxy composites, respectively. In addition,
hybrids epoxy/Cu/Gr samples were prepared with a selection of the lowest (0.1 and 10) and the highest
(0.5 and 50) ratios of Gr, and Cu, respectively.
Results:
The thermal conductivity increased with the increasing weight ratio of Gr and Cu as compared
to the pure epoxy. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of epoxy composites and hybrid
composites revealed an improvement in the thermal stability. In addition, the mechanical
properties such as hardness shore D and the wear resistance were enhanced for both the epoxy
composites and hybrids composites. However, the Ep+0.5wt%Gr+50wt%Cu hybrid composite
was found to have the maximum hardness 84, with the thermal conductivity of 3.84 W/m.K. It
showed the lowest wear resistance 2.7×10
-6
mm
3
/Nm at loading 10 N.
Conclusion:
The hybrid composite containing 0.5wt%Gr and 50wt%Cu shows the maximum
hardness and thermal conductivity, as well as the lowest wear resistance when compared to
other composites. The physical properties of the hybrid composite can be controlled by the
host blend, and hence the morphology, and interfacial characteristics.