Graphene as a reinforcement in thermoset resins

Conventional fillers such as carbon black (CB) have been widely used in the tire industry as a reinforcing material. Despite the low cost, this filler poses the problem of agglomeration and the requirement of high filler loading in the polymer matrices. An alternative to the conventional filler, the two-dimensional nanomaterials are gaining increased research interests. Graphene, one of the strongest in-plane tensile strength material that belongs to the family of carbon, are widely being used for preparing the polymer nanocomposites. Besides having a wide variety of applications, this material serves as a reinforcing medium in polymer matrices. Resin matrices are characterized as high viscous material and have poor physicomechanical properties. The preparation of the resin/graphene composite can increase the mechanical properties and form a stable structure under dynamic loading. Modification of the graphene filler increases the interfacial adhesion and increases the uniform dispersion in the resin or polymeric matrix. Uniformly dispersed filler matrix have higher mechanical properties compared to the pristine graphene and conventional CB filler. The addition of this two-dimensional filler in the elastomer also reinforce the matrix and have low energy loss under dynamic loading.