Effect of Surface Modification of Graphene Nanoplatelets on the High Velocity Impact Behavior of Basalt Fibers Reinforced Polymer-Based Composites

In this study, the effect of surface modified graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) by silane on the high velocity impact behavior of basalt fiber epoxy nanocomposites was evaluated experimentally. The pristine and silane modified GNPs of 0, 0.3 and 0.5 weight percentages were employed for reinforcing basalt fiber- epoxy nanocomposites and the surface modification procedure of GNPs were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Results from the high velocity impact tests proved that utilizing silane modified GNPs had a considerable influence on the mechanical performance of the basalt fiber reinforced polymer nanocomposites. in the 0.3 wt.% GNPs sample, the impact limit velocity and absorbed energy respectively improved by 11 and 23 %, Compared with the 0 wt.% GNPs sample,but in the 0.5 wt.% sample, agglomeration of GNPs caused reduction in the mechanical properties. Electron microscopy investigations revealed that load transfer between the polymer matrix and the reinforcing fibers was greatly affected by the addition of GNPs in enhancing the mechanical response of the nanocomposites.