3D Graphene/Epoxy Nanocomposite with highly Multifunctional Properties

Via in-situ chemical reduction, graphene layers randomly assembled together and prepared a highly porous structure of three-dimensional graphene (3DG). Epoxy resin infiltrated in the micro-pores of 3DG and measured mechanical, electrical and thermal properties showed highly improvement in multi-functionality of the epoxy nanocomposite, not only in comparison of pure epoxy, but also in comparison of traditional epoxy/graphene nanocomposites. Electrical conductivity of 3DG/epoxy reached to remarkable amount of 0.7 S/m, which is around 12 order more than pure epoxy. Also, Flexural modulus and thermal diffusivity of this nanocomposite increased by 30% and 64%, respectively with respect to pure polymer. These simultaneous increases in different properties denote the excellent effectiveness of the 3DG as a novel reinforcement for polymers in compare of other kinds of nano-carbon allotropes such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets, that generally have challenges in uniform distribution, agglomeration and needs surface functionalities to bonding with polymers molecules.

Keywords:

Epoxy nanocomposite , 3D graphene , Mechanical properties , Electrical conductivity , Thermal Diffusivity.