Glass Fiber Reinforced MWCNTs-filled Epoxy Nanocomposites: Morphological and Viscoelastic Characteristics
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 15, No 2 (June 2026) pp. 315-322
Abstract
This study aims to investigate glass fiber-reinforced multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-filled epoxy nanocomposites (A, B, and C), with different MWCNTs reinforcement using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). Epoxy-E-glass fiber strengthened composites were fabricated with MWCNTs of Ø20-30 nm and <Ø8 nm using hand layup approach. Specimen A (neat epoxy), specimen B (MWCNTs <Ø8 nm) and specimen C (MWCNTs Ø20-30 nm) were fabricated. From DMA, it was found that specimen C has better molecular stability and higher cross-linking density, as seen from its lower tan δ peak (0.301) compared to specimens A (0.455) and B (0.419), even though its glass transition temperature (88.13 ℃) is marginally below that of specimen A (92.97 ℃). At the glass transition temperature of specimen B, the lowest tan δ (0.265) and loss modulus (398.4 MPa) are observed for specimen C, indicating reduced energy dissipation and heat generation, and thereby improved thermal resistance with lower susceptibility to thermal damage. To assess thermal damage, SEM images at the drilled holes in the inner walls were analyzed, and the observations were found to be consistent with the DMA results, further confirming the thermo-mechanical performance of the specimens.
Full Text
Reference
Abhiram, B. R. and Ghosh, D., Influence of nanofiller agglomeration on fracture properties of polymer nanocomposite: Insights from atomistic simulation, Eng. Fract. Mech., 290, 109503(2023).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2023.109503
Anidha, S., Mozhuguan, S. S., Natarajan, E., Muthukkumar, M., Markandan, K., Ang, C. K. and Franz, G., Preliminary Investigations and Support for the Mechanical and Dynamic Characteristics of a Natural Rubber Reinforcement in E-Glass/CNT/Epoxy Composite, J. Compos. Sci., 8(4), 140(2024).
https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs8040140
Chaichan, M. T., Kazem, H. A., Al-Ghezi, M. K. S., Al-Waeli, A. H. A., Ali, A. J., Sopian, K., Kadhum, A. A. H., Wan Isahak, W. N. R., Takriff, M. S. and Al-Amiery, A. A., Optimizing MWCNT-Based Nanofluids for Photovoltaic/Thermal Cooling through Preparation Parameters, ACS Omega, 8(33), 29910–29925(2023).
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c07226
Chua, P. S., Characterization of the interfacial adhesion using tan delta, Compos., 19(1), 78(1987).
https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-4361(88)90583-6
Dorigato, A. and Fredi, G., Effect of nanofillers addition on the compatibilization of polymer blends, Adv. Indus. Eng. Polym. Res., 7(4), 405–427(2024).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aiepr.2023.09.004
Gkikas, G., Barkoula, N. M. and Paipetis, A. S., Effect of dispersion conditions on the thermo-mechanical and toughness properties of multi walled carbon nanotubes-reinforced epoxy, Compos. Part B Eng., 43(6), 2697–2705(2012).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2012.01.070
Goswami, K., Daugaard, A. E. and Skov, A. L., Dielectric properties of ultraviolet cured poly (dimethyl siloxane) sub-percolative composites containing percolative amounts of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, RSC Adv., 5(17), 12792–12799(2015).
https://doi.org/10.1039/C4RA14637A
Her, S. C. and Lin, K. Y., Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Nanocomposites, J. Appl. Biomater. Funct. Mater., 15(1_suppl), 13–18(2017).
https://doi.org/10.5301/jabfm.5000351
Jagadeesh, P., Mavinkere Rangappa, S., Suyambulingam, I., Siengchin, S., Puttegowda, M., Binoj, J. S., Gorbatyuk, S., Khan, A., Doddamani, M., Fiore, V. and Cuadrado, M. M. M., Drilling characteristics and properties analysis of fiber reinforced polymer composites: A comprehensive review, Heliyon, 9(3), e14428(2023).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14428
Jiang, L., Zhou, Y., Jin, F. and Hou, Z., Influence of Polymer Matrices on the Tensile and Impact Properties of Long Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites, Polym., 15(2), 408(2023).
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020408
Juon, P. H., Saeedipour, H. and Goh, K. L., Thermal damage in carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites: A critical review, Compos. Mater., 285–305(2021).
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820512-9.00021-6
Kehrer, L., Wicht, D., Wood, J. T. and Böhlke, T., Dynamic mechanical analysis of pure and fiber‐reinforced thermoset‐ and thermoplastic‐based polymers and free volume‐based viscoelastic modelling, GAMM-Mitteilungen, 41(1), 201800007(2018).
https://doi.org/10.1002/gamm.201800007
Kumar, A., Ghosh, P. K., Yadav, K. L. and Kumar, K., Thermo-mechanical and anti-corrosive properties of MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposite fabricated by innovative dispersion technique, Compos. Part B: Eng., 113, 291–299 (2017).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2017.01.046
Mittal, K. L., Polyimides and Other High Temperature Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications, CRC Press,
https://doi.org/10.1201/b12194
Mohammadi, M., Mohamad, H., Rangappa, S. M. and Siengchin, S., Incorporation of nano-fillers on the properties of natural fiber reinforced composites: A review, Sustain. Mater. Technol., 45, e01600(2025).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2025.e01600
Painkal, S. K., Balachandran, M., Jayanarayanan, K., Sridhar, N. and Kumar, S., Synergistic enhancement in mechanical properties of graphene/MWCNT reinforced Polyaryletherketone – carbon fiber multi-scale composites: Experimental studies and finite element analysis, Adv. Indus. Eng. Polym. Res., 8(1), 20–36(2025).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aiepr.2024.02.002
Ponnuvel, S. and Prem, A. M., Effect of specific surface area of MWCNTS on surface roughness and delamination in drilling Epoxy/Glass Fabric Composite, Mater. Res. Exp., 5(3), 035310(2018).
https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/aab647
Prashanth, N. A. and Keerthi, K. N., Development of Sustainable Okra Fiber-Nano-SiO2- reinforced Epoxy Composites: Mechanical Characterization and Machine Learning-based Prediction, J. Environ. Nanotechnol., 14(2), 146–161(2025).
https://doi.org/10.13074/jent.2025.06.2511437
Rani, N., Bisht, N. and Chauhan, S., Dynamic mechanical analysis of thermosetting polymer composite materials, Elsevier, 79-112(2024)
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-19009-4.00007-2
Rayjadhav, S. B., Kubade, P. R. and Sonawane, S. A., Synergistic Reinforcement and Performance Optimization of Graphene/MWCNT Hybrid-Modified PA6-PP Nanocomposites: Mechanical, Dynamic, and Tribological Insights, J. Instit. Eng. Series D, (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-026-00995-1
Seenivasan, S., Sathya, V., Jegadeeswaran, M., Nanthini, B., Prabhu, T. and Johnson, K. S., Influence of Cordia dichotoma Fibers and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on the Mechanical and Thermal Behavior of Epoxy Hybrid Composites, J. Environ. Nanotechnol., 14(3), 215–222(2025).
https://doi.org/10.13074/jent.2025.09.2531655
Senthilkumar, N., Characterization of Graphene and Titanium Carbide Reinforced Magnesium Alloy Composite for Transmission Housings in Automobile, SAE Tech. Pap., 5231(2024).
https://doi.org/10.4271/2024-01-5231
Senthilkumar, N., Ramu, S. and Deepanraj, B., Two-phase Hybrid Thermal Interface Alkali-treated E-Glass Fiber/MWCNT/Graphene/Copper Oxide Nanocomposites for Electronic Gadgets, Recent Pat. Nanotechnol., 19(4), 511-523(2024).
https://doi.org/10.2174/0118722105296725240308094344
Song, W., Li, C. Q., Lin, L. and Chen, Y., Research on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of MWCNTs/CF Reinforced Epoxy Resin Matrix Composite Patch, Phy. Proce., 50, 405–409(2013).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2013.11.062
Titarmare, V. P., Banerjee, S. and Sahoo, P., Ultrasonic-Assisted Stir Casting Synthesis and Characterization of Magnesium Metal Matrix Composites, Adv. Mater. Manuf. Des., 55–67(2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6667-3_5
Vaddar, L., Thatti, B., Reddy, B. R., Chittineni, S., Govind, N., Vijay, M., Anjinappa, C., Razak, A. and Saleel, C. A., Glass Fiber-Epoxy Composites with Carbon Nanotube Fillers for Enhancing Properties in Structure Modeling and Analysis Using Artificial Intelligence Technique, ACS Omega, 8(26), 23528–23544(2023).
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c01067
Wang, G., Wang, R., Wang, L., Wang, C., Zhang, F., Wang, Z. and Tang, C., Impacts of nanofiller shapes on the interface confinement effect in polymer nanocomposites, Compos. Struct., 327, 117679(2024).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2023.117679
Wang, T., Song, B., Qiao, K., Huang, Y. and Wang, L., Effect of Dimensions and Agglomerations of Carbon Nanotubes on Synchronous Enhancement of Mechanical and Damping Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites, Nanomater., 8(12), 996(2018).
