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Tensile Properties of Graphene-Based Nanocomposites: a Comparative Study of Ultrasonication and Microcompounding Processing Methods

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Mechanics of Composite Materials Aims and scope

Two methods are commonly used to disperse graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in a polymer matrix system (PMS) — microcompounding and ultrasonication. In this work, GNPs-PMS nanocomposite specimens of different weight ratios were first produced using microcompounding. Results of tensile tests showed that, on introduction of 0.5 wt.% GNPs into the PMS, its ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased by 15% and the elastic modulus by 11%. Based on these results, 0.5 wt.% GNPs were also used in producing specimens by the ultrasonication technique, which showed a 69% drop in the UTS and a 227% increase in the elastic modulus. These findings demonstrate that the mechanical properties of GNPs-PMS nanocomposites are highly sensitive to their manufacturing method.

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Acknowledgment

This Project was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, under grant No. (202/135/1431), whose financial support is gratefully acknowledged by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aeronautical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    M. Bourchak, B. Kada, A. N. Khan, A. Al-Garni & K. A. Juhany

  2. Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    M. N. Nahas

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  1. M. Bourchak
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  2. M. N. Nahas
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Correspondence to M. Bourchak.

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Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 55, No. 5, pp. 000-000, September-October, 2019.

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Bourchak, M., Nahas, M.N., Kada, B. et al. Tensile Properties of Graphene-Based Nanocomposites: a Comparative Study of Ultrasonication and Microcompounding Processing Methods. Mech Compos Mater 55, 617–626 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11029-019-09838-5

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