Energy absorbing hybrid nano-composite materials

Base Epon 862 resin was enhanced with two types of fillers, graphitized carbon nanofiber (CNF) and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) particles. The effect of both filler type and filler loading were investigated with respect to the energy absorbing capacity as well as the thermal stability of the hybrid composite material, measured in terms of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). As well the composites with combinations of the fillers were evaluated for both enhanced damping and thermal stability, making it suitable for structural materials that need multiple functions. The composites were evaluated with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to evaluate viscoelastic response, and using strain gauges to measure thermal strain responses. It has been found that the addition of 3wt% SiO₂ along with 3wt% CNF can improve damping loss factors by up to 26% while at the same time improving thermal stability with reductions in CTE of up to 16.5%. Furthermore, these fillers loadings were successfully dispersed as received by mechanical mixing technique, making fabrication more economically suited to engineering applications.