M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH exfoliated WEP nanocomposites: Effects of nanosheets on the mechanical and thermal properties

The silane modified reduced graphene oxide zinc nickel layered double hydroxides (M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH) nano-fillers were geared up through a one-step route, tailored by 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) and integrated into a waterborne epoxy (WEP) matrix to fabricate WEP/M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH nanocomposites. The prepared M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH nanocomposites reveal high quality, being characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The properties of WEP/M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH, on the mechanical and thermal properties were discussed. The samples containing M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH showed enhanced tensile properties of the WEP nanocomposites speckled the lowest concentration of M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH (0.2 wt%) yielded the finest performance, as projected for this sort of filler. Besides, the DMA analysis shows that the tanδ and the storage modulus of the WEP/M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH nanocomposites were notably improved owing to the better dispersion and strong interaction between M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH and WEP system. Therefore, the obtained results were exposed that the incorporation of an appropriate quantity of M-rGO-ZnNi-LDH can significantly enhance the mechanical behaviors of the WEP nanocomposites.