Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1466703 Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing 2011 9 Pages PDF
Abstract

Bio-based nanocomposites, defined as blends of petroleum and vegetable oil resins reinforced with nanoparticles, can lead to synergistic material property enhancement; and evaluation of their performance and limits can allow for their optimal design. An array of 12 nanocomposite designs with up to 30% epoxidized methyl linseedate (EML) and up to 5.0 wt.% nanoclay in unsaturated polyester were manufactured using a solvent-based technique. Mechanical, thermal and diffusion properties of resulting composites were experimentally characterized. Reduction of mechanical and transient properties due to bio-resin blending were recovered by the addition of nanoclay for EML contents of up to 20%, while 30% EML composites showed little improvement. Systems with 2.5 wt.% nanoclay and up to 20% EML showed optimal performance with balanced properties and processing ease. The developed eco-friendly bio-based nanocomposites exhibit good stiffness–toughness balance along with improvements in other mechanical and transient properties, thereby showing potential for use in structural applications.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Ceramics and Composites
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