Optimized Functionalization of Graphene Oxide for Enhanced Mechanical Properties in Epoxy Resin Composites

Abstract

Epoxy resins have widespread applications across various industries, such as anticorrosive coatings, owing to their exceptional attributes. However, there is a constant demand for enhancements to their mechanical characteristics to cater to the requirements of unique and specialized conditions. In this work, graphene oxide modified by 4,4′-Oxydianiline (MGO) was prepared using a covalent grafting reaction. The MGO in epoxy resin composites exhibited a rougher morphology and thin layers with a superior tensile strength (38 MPa), elastic modulus (358 MPa), flexural strength (85 MPa), flexural modulus (957 MPa), and hardness (62 HD). The results indicated that the mechanical properties of epoxy resin are significantly improved by MGO and the improved mechanical properties of epoxy resin composites are due to the strong interfacial bonding between MGO and epoxy.