Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Graphene Modified Epoxy Composites

Abstract

The effects of graphene content on the mechanical and tribological properties of epoxy composites were systematically investigated. The stiffness, hardness and elastic modulus of the composites increased with increased graphene content due to the higher hardness and elastic modulus of graphene sheets than those of epoxy matrix. The friction and wear of the composites measured using steel ball-on-disc microtribological test decreased with increased graphene content due to the solid lubricating effect of graphene sheets. It could be concluded that the mechanical and tribological properties of the epoxy composites could be significantly influenced by the incorporation of graphene sheets.