Improving Fracture Toughness of Tetrafunctional Epoxy with Functionalized 2D Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets

In this work, improved fracture toughness of tetra-functional epoxy polymer was obtained using two-dimensional (2H polytype) molybdenum disulfide (MoS(2)) nano-platelets as a filler. Simultaneous in-situ exfoliation and functionalization of MoS(2) were achieved in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) via sonication. The aim was to improve the dispersion of MoS(2) nanoplatelets in epoxy and enhance the interfacial interaction between nanoplatelets and epoxy matrix. Epoxy nanocomposites with CTAB functionalized MoS(2) (f-MoS(2)) nanoplatelets, ranging in content from 0.1 wt% up to 1 wt%, were fabricated. Modified MoS(2) improved the fracture properties (81%) of tetrafunctional epoxy nanocomposites. The flexural strength and compressive strength improved by 64% and 47%, respectively, with 0.25 wt% loading of f-MoS(2) nanoplatelets compared to neat epoxy. The addition of f-MoS(2) nanoplatelets enhanced the thermomechanical properties of epoxy. This work demonstrated the potential of organically modified MoS(2) nanoplatelets for improving the fracture and thermal behavior of tetrafunctional epoxy nanocomposites.