Solvent Mixing and Its Effect on Epoxy Resin Filled with Graphene Oxide

The effective utilization of nanometric fillers relies on high levels of dispersion in order to prevent the formation of deleterious micrometric-sized clusters. In order to obtain the desired performance the manufacturing process must be optimized, with respect to the constituent components. In this study two mixing methods of graphene oxide into an epoxy resin are reported, namely, solvent and planetary mixing. In order to evaluate the achieved dispersion/distribution level, while varying the filler content, characterization of the morphology was undertaken, together with evaluation of a range of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. It was found that the planetary mixing results in fine distribution and poor dispersion, while the opposite can be achieved by solvent mixing. It is also suggested that the mixing method is highly dependent on the filler content, underlying the importance of manufacturing optimization.