Enhancing the mechanical and tribological properties of epoxy composites via incorporation of reactive bio-based epoxy functionalized graphene oxide

The high rigidity and brittleness of traditional thermosetting resin based on bisphenol epoxy limits its many potential technical applications. Here, a novel tertiary amine containing cardanol-based epoxy resin (NC-514-DEA) was synthesized by reaction of diethanolamine (DEA) with cardanol epoxy resin (NC-514). Moreover, NC-514-DEA modified graphene oxide (GOND) was prepared and used as a reactive nano-reinforcing filler for epoxy composites. The results show that, compared with neat epoxy resin, the fracture toughness of the epoxy composite with 0.5 wt% GOND is increased by nearly 10%, and the friction coefficient is reduced from 0.567 to 0.408, demonstrating the best performance among specimens. The improved mechanical and wear resistance properties of prepared composites were attribute to the synergistic effect of NC-514-DEA and GO, which inhibited the generation and propagation of cracks by enhancing the interfacial interaction and distributing stress. In addition, the synthetic process of GOND is green, simple and efficient, providing a novel way for designing epoxy composite materials with many potential applications.