Effects of the treatment of attapulgite and filler contents on tensile properties of PTFE and attapulgite reinforced fabric composites

Epoxy based fabric composites containing attapulgite (ATP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were prepared. Effects of the treatment of ATP, content of ATP and relative content of ATP and PTFE on tensile properties of the fabric composites were investigated. The results showed that the treatment of ATP resulted in the formation of the covalent link between the treated ATP nanorods and the epoxy matrix, which enhanced the tensile properties of the matrix. Also, the fiber–matrix adhesion was improved due to the high surface energy of the ATP nanorods. Thus, the tensile properties of the fabric composites increased due to the above reasons. 16% was the critical overall content of the fillers, exceeding which the fillers had a strong tendency to agglomerate lowering the tensile strength. ATP:PTFE = 1:1 was the optimal relative content ratio, at which ATP and PTFE acted synergisticly to further improve the tensile properties of the fabric composites.