ABSTRACT
Graphene/silver hybrid (SG-Ag) nanoparticles were synthesized using a combination of autogenic pressure reactor and microwave irradiation. These graphene/silver hybrid nanoparticles were further infused in epoxy polymer using an ultrasound irradiation to fabricate a conducting polymer nanocomposite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed crystalline nature of graphene/silver hybrid nanoparticles. Plasticizer (EP9009) -modified epoxy SC-15 resins were loaded with 1, 2, and 5 wt. % SG-Ag nanoparticles. The dielectric constant increased about 398% with a 5% loading of nanoclay-synthesized graphene (SG). Thermal effusivity was the highest for 5 wt. % hybrid SG-Ag -reinforced composite with an improvement of 106 % when compared to neat epoxy. Thermal conductivity improved by another 36% for SG-Ag nanocomposites when compared with SG nanocomposites and showed a synergistic effect. Storage modulus changed from 2,324 to 2,788 MPa with about 20% improvement for 5 wt. % SG-Ag loading when compared to its neat counterparts. Flexure properties revealed that the highest modulus of 6.20 GPa was achieved for 5 wt.% SG-Ag -loaded samples, whereas strength was the highest for 1 wt.% SG -loaded samples at 106.66 MPa. The overall improvement in modulus and strength was about 134 % and 27.14% for 5 wt. % SG-Ag and 1 wt.% SG -loaded samples, respectively.
