THE EFFECT OF GRAPHENE NANOPLATELETS ON THE STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF GLASS FIBER REINFORCED PA6 COMPOSITES

Abstract

In this study, the mechanical, thermal, and microstructural properties of nanocomposites produced by adding graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) at different contents (1 wt%, 2 wt%, and 3 wt%) to commercially available polyamide 6 (PA6) and glass fiber (GF)–based composites were investigated. The composites were prepared via melt extrusion and subsequently injection molded to obtain test specimens. The produced samples were characterized through tensile, impact, hardness, density, moisture content, and melt flow index (MFI) tests, while their microstructure was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The findings show that the addition of GnP enhances stiffness by increasing the elastic modulus, whereas higher GnP contents limit impact strength and elongation at break. At 3 wt% GnP, the elastic modulus increased by 14%, while elongation at break and impact strength decreased by 14% and 19%, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of 1 wt% GnP resulted in a 145% increase in MFI, indicating a significant improvement in processability. Overall, the results present a comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between mechanical behavior, microstructure, and processability in glass fiber–reinforced PA6 composites containing GnP, demonstrating that even very low GnP contents can considerably influence composite performance. The originality of this study lies in quantitatively revealing the structure–property relationship induced by very low GnP contents in the glass fiber–reinforced PA6 matrix and in providing a detailed explanation of the conflicting effects between processability and mechanical performance.

Keywords

• Polyamide 6
• Glass Fiber
• Graphene Nanoplatelets
• Polymer Composite
• Polymer Nanocomposite

GRAFEN NANOPLAKALARIN CAM ELYAF TAKVİYELİ PA6 KOMPOZİTLERİN YAPISAL VE MEKANİK ÖZELLİKLERİNE ETKİSİ

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, poliamid 6 (PA6) ve cam elyaf (CE) esaslı hazır kompozitlere, farklı oranlarda (ağırlıkça %1, %2 ve %3) grafen nanoplakalar (GnP) eklenerek elde edilen nanokompozitlerin mekanik, termal ve mikroyapısal özellikleri incelenmiştir. Kompozitler, eriyik ekstrüzyon yöntemiyle hazırlanmış ve ardından enjeksiyon kalıplama ile test numuneleri üretilmiştir. Üretilen numuneler; çekme, darbe, sertlik, yoğunluk, nem oranı ve eriyik akış indeksi (MFI) gibi testlerle karakterize edilmiş, mikroyapı ise taramalı elektron mikroskobu (SEM) ile değerlendirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, GnP ilavesinin elastisite modülünü artırarak rijitliği geliştirdiğini, ancak artan GnP oranının darbe dayanımı ve kopma uzamasını sınırladığını göstermektedir. %3 GnP içeriğinde elastisite modülü %14 artarken, kopma uzaması %14 ve darbe dayanımı %19 azalmıştır. Ayrıca %1 GnP katkısıyla MFI değerinde %145’lik artış elde edilmiş ve işlenebilirlikte belirgin bir iyileşme sağlanmıştır. Bu sonuçlar, GnP’nin cam elyaf takviyeli PA6 kompozitlerde mekanik davranış, mikroyapı ve işlenebilirlik arasındaki ilişkiyi inceleyen kapsamlı bir değerlendirme sunmakta; çok düşük GnP oranlarının dahi performansı önemli ölçüde etkileyebileceğini göstermektedir. Çalışmanın özgün katkısı, GnP’nin cam elyaf takviyeli PA6 matrisindeki çok düşük katkı oranlarında dahi oluşturduğu yapı–özellik ilişkisini nicel olarak ortaya koyması ve özellikle işlenebilirlik ile mekanik performans arasındaki çelişkili etkiyi detaylı şekilde açıklamasıdır.

Keywords

• Poliamid 6
• Cam Elyaf
• Grafen Nanoplaka
• Polimer Kompozit
• Polimer Nanokompozit

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