Mechanical Properties Amelioration of Hybrid Composites by Concomitant Synergy Between Graphene Oxide and Silica Nanoparticles

Composite materials have attracted increasing attention to replace traditional materials such as metals for aerospace and automotive components due to their excellent mechanical and lightweight properties. By reinforcing with fillers, the material properties can be tailored to suit the needs of certain requirements. Nanofillers graphene oxide (GO) and silica (SiO₂) are incorporated into carbon fibre/epoxy (CF/E) composites to enhance epoxy resin properties by impregnating into the weak area of resin and boosting the interaction forces between resin and filler interfaces. The mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of GO and SiO₂ fillers in the CF/E were investigated. Movever, after the exposure to distilled water and salt water, effect of moisture absorption on flexural and impact properties were investigated and the CF/E composite with hybrid nanofillers exhibited strong resistance to degradation in flexural and impact properties. FESEM images of the fracture surfaces indicated that the good performance of CF/E composite with bi-hybrid nanofillers originated from the synergistic GO and SiO₂ nanofillers, which limit the motion of epoxy polymer molecular chain and give sufficient stress transfer ability to the composite system. The overall results showed that GO and SiO₂ fillers can significantly enhance the mechanical properties as well as resistance to moisture environment.