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Title: Fracture, failure and compression behaviour of a 3D interconnected carbon aerogel (Aerographite) epoxy composite

Journal Article · · Composites Science and Technology
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Technical Univ. of Hamburg (Germany)
  3. Christian-Albrechts Univ., Kiel (Germany)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Aerographite (AG) is a mechanically robust, lightweight synthetic cellular material, which consists of a 3D interconnected network of tubular carbon [1]. The presence of open channels in AG aids to infiltrate them with polymer matrices, thereby yielding an electrical conducting and lightweight composite. Aerographite produced with densities in the range of 7–15 mg/cm3 was infiltrated with a low viscous epoxy resin by means of vacuum infiltration technique. Detailed morphological and structural investigations on synthesized AG and AG/epoxy composite were performed by scanning electron microscopic techniques. Our present study investigates the fracture and failure of AG/epoxy composites and its energy absorption capacity under compression. The composites displayed an extended plateau region when uni-axially compressed, which led to an increase in energy absorption of ~133% per unit volume for 1.5 wt% of AG, when compared to pure epoxy. Preliminary results on fracture toughness showed an enhancement of ~19% in KIC for AG/epoxy composites with 0.45 wt% of AG. Furthermore, our observations of fractured surfaces under scanning electron microscope gives evidence of pull-out of arms of AG tetrapod, interface and inter-graphite failure as the dominating mechanism for the toughness improvement in these composites. These observations were consistent with the results obtained from photoelasticity experiments on a thin film AG/epoxy model composite.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1227353
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-678286
Journal Information:
Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 122; ISSN 0266-3538
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 27 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

A review on aerogel: 3D nanoporous structured fillers in polymer-based nanocomposites journal May 2017
An investigation into resorcinol formaldehyde carbon aerogel/epoxy coatings: Exploring mechanical properties, ultraviolet stability, and corrosion resistance journal July 2019
Shape- and Size-Controlled Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Aloe vera Plant Extract and Their Antimicrobial Activity journal November 2016
Carbon aerogel evolution: Allotrope, graphene-inspired, and 3D-printed aerogels journal October 2017
Carbon Nanoparticles’ Impact on Processability and Physical Properties of Epoxy Resins—A Comprehensive Study Covering Rheological, Electrical, Thermo-Mechanical, and Fracture Properties (Mode I and II) journal February 2019
Carbon nanoparticles’ impact on processability and physical properties of epoxy resins : a comprehensive study covering rheological, electrical, thermo-mechanical, and fracture properties (mode I and II) text January 2019

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Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
nanocomposites
fracture toughness
mechanical properties
fractography
scanning electron microscopy