Effects of silica and graphene nanoparticles on mechanical properties of epoxy nanocomposite coatings

The aim of this study is the investigation on the effect of nanoparticles on the properties of epoxy coatings. Epoxy resins are use as coating materials but the practical use of epoxy coatings in industries is limited due to their weak mechanical properties. Therefore, in this study, different amounts of silica (SiO2) and graphene nanoparticles (GNPs) were introduced separately and together into an epoxy matrix as reinforcements. Mechanical, physical and thermal properties of the epoxy coatings were handling as multidimensional by the macro and micro analyses. The experimental results showed that, the addition of GNPs into the epoxy matrix, the flexibility and impact resistance of the coatings increased by 8.3 and 157.1%, respectively, according to neat epoxy. The microhardness increased by 53.8% and penetration depth, which is indicating of the scratch resistance, decreased by 29.7%, with the addition of SiO2-GNPs nanohybrid.