Surface modification of graphene oxide nanoplatelets and its influence on mechanical properties of alumina matrix composites

This paper discusses the effect of modified graphene oxide nanoplatelets (RGO-Al2O3) and unmodified graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GO) addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of alumina matrix composites. The sinters were prepared by powder metallurgy processing using Spark Plasma Sintering to consolidate the powder mixtures. Moreover, the influence of applied reinforcing phase on the fracture mechanism was also investigated. Significant improvement of the fracture toughness (60%) for the composites with 0.5 wt.% RGO-Al2O3 compared to the reference sample was observed. Moreover, 20% higher KIC was noticed for RGO-Al2O3 reinforced composites than for Al2O3-GO.