Flower-like nickel phyllosilicate nanoparticles to boost the excellent mechanical, thermal and tribological properties of epoxy nanocomposites

Introduction of flower-like nickel phyllosilicates into the epoxy resin meaningfully improve the mechanical property, thermal stability and tribological response, new research suggests.

As well known, epoxy resin is one of the most important thermosetting plastic and has been widely used as adhesives, coatings and engineering materials in many fields, whereas epoxy products cannot undergo the rubbing actions under dry sliding and hard to be sate when served as engineering parts.

Jinian Yang, an associated professor come from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Anhui University of Science and Technology, and the co-workers of the present study, found a promising solution to solve the above problem by introducing low-content flower-like nickel phyllosilicates to yield the epoxy nanocomposites. This study is published online in Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering on 2021.

“Firstly, a facile decomposition-precipitation technology is employed to synthesize the flower-like nanoparticles, which were then introduced into the epoxy resin via a simple solution-mixing method.” Prof. Yang said. “As these flow-like nanofillers are characterized by high specific area and rough surfaces, they are likely to dispersed homogeneously in the resin matrix, strengthening the mechanical property, thermal stability as well as tribological response under dry sliding accordingly.”

In a two-step study, the researchers first examine the crystal structures, morphologies, chemical compositions and so on to confirm the successful synthesis of flower-like nickel phyllosilicates, verifying that the target products are flower-like morphologies with several nanopetals tended to be connected. They then turned to the effects on the macroscopic performances of epoxy nanocomposites.

Using a serious of epoxy samples containing varied mass fraction of flower-like nickel phyllosilicates, the researchers had completed the investigations that explored the structure-property relationships. The tribological tests were done using a block-on-ring equipment under the rotation speed of 100 r/min and an applied load of 12 kg, reporting the valuable results including the tribological curve, average friction coefficient and wear rate. Then, to gain insight into the wear mechanism, the observation and chemical analysis on the worn surfaces of all the samples had also been done carefully.

“Our research shows that the addition of 5% nanofillers can suppress the wear resistance significantly by 86.6%.” Said Shibin Nie, the co-corresponding author of the study come from the Department of Safety Science and Engineering of Anhui University of Science and Technology. “The existence of flower-like nanoparticles can strengthen and stiffen the samples. As the surface resin is removed by the rubbing action of friction ring, the exposed fillers can bear the applied force to improve the anti-wear properties remarkably.”

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Reference: Jinnian Yang et al (2021). Self-sacrificial templating synthesis of flower-like nickel phyllosilicates and its application as high-performance reinforcements in epoxy nanocomposites, Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering DOI: 10.1007/s11705-021-2074-6

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Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering presents the latest developments in chemical science and engineering, emphasizing emerging and multidisciplinary fields and international trends in research and development. The journal promotes communication and exchange between scientists all over the world. The contents include original reviews, research papers and short communications. Coverage includes catalysis and reaction engineering, clean energy, functional material, nanotechnology and nanoscience, biomaterials and biotechnology, particle technology and multiphase processing, separation science and technology, sustainable technologies and green processing. The Editors-in-Chief are Academician Jingkang Wang from Tianjin University, Academician Qunji Xue from Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology and Academician Jiongtian Liu from Zhengzhou University. The journal has been indexed by SCI, Ei, CA, ChemWeb, INSPEC, SCOPUS, Source Journals for Chinese Scientific and Technical Papers and Citations, CSCD, etc.