The role of a stabiliser in the stiffening and strengthening of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) filled epoxy was studied. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, and Boehmite (Boe) nanoclay were mixed with CNCs in water during processing. Boe and CTAB synergistically stiffened the CNC-epoxy composites, increasing elastic modulus by 72% over neat epoxy and 49% over unstabilised CNC-epoxy composites. Boe-treated CNC-epoxy composites exhibited a 23% increase in tensile strength over unfilled epoxy and a 63% increase over an unstabilised CNC-epoxy composite. These nanocomposites also maintained the strain-at-failure of neat epoxy and increased the storage modulus above Tg by 96%. This use of a naturally occurring alumina nanoplatelet as a synergistic stabiliser for CNCs provides a tremendous opportunity to reduce the use of surfactants in epoxy composites. This green filler system could be used to improve epoxy nanocomposites for structural components in automotive applications, construction materials and consumer products.
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December 2014
Research Article|
December 01 2014
Synergy in epoxy nanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystals and Boehmite Available to Purchase
Blake R. Teipel, BS;
Blake R. Teipel, BS
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Jaime Grunlan, PhD
Jaime Grunlan, PhD
*
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
*Corresponding author e-mail address: jgrunlan@tamu.edu
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*Corresponding author e-mail address: jgrunlan@tamu.edu
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
June 19 2014
Accepted:
July 31 2014
Online ISSN: 2049-1239
Print ISSN: 2049-1220
ICE Publishing: All rights reserved
2014
Green Materials (2014) 2 (4): 222–231.
Article history
Received:
June 19 2014
Accepted:
July 31 2014
Citation
Teipel BR, Grunlan J (2014), "Synergy in epoxy nanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystals and Boehmite". Green Materials, Vol. 2 No. 4 pp. 222–231, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/gmat.14.00013
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