Investigating the role of synthesized reduced graphene oxide and graphite micro-fillers on mechanical and fretting wear performance of glass fiber epoxy-based composite

Abstract

In the current study, graphite was exfoliated using a Hummer’s technique to produce graphene oxide (GO), which was then reduced with hydrazine hydrate (a reducing agent) to produce reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with high purity. The XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and TGA analysis confirmed the synthesis of rGO by stating its crystal phase, chemical functional group, morphology, and thermal stability. The objective of this study is twofold: firstly, to synthesize the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) cost-effectively, and secondly, to explore its potential as an additional filler in Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composites. Aiming to enhance their overall performance. The GFRP laminate composite was fabricated through the hand layup technique by varying the concentration of Gr (i.e., 0.5 wt% & 1 wt%) and rGO (i.e., 0.5 wt% & 1 wt%). The morphological study of the fracture surface revealed a proper dispersion of filler obtained at 0.5 wt% and by increasing the concentration to 1 wt% it reveals a clustering of fillers and formation of micro-voids. The result revealed that maximum improvement has been observed in the GFRP composite having 0.5 wt% rGO composite than neat GFRP composite. Incorporation of rGO micro-filler in GFRP laminate composite significantly improved the tensile strength, flexural strength, and in their modulus by 59.56%, 18.21%, 24.45%, and 22.75% respectively compared to neat GFRP laminate composite. In the case of 0.5 wt% graphite filler demonstrates an enhancement in tensile strength, flexural strength, and their modulus by 37.98%, ∼8%, 6.64%, and ∼5% respectively. In fretting wear test reveals that 1 wt% of graphite filler has better wear resistance than all other composites. The worn morphology revealed adhesive and abrasive wear as the predominant wear mechanism. The incorporation of rGO filler in GFRP makes it a promising material for industrial applications that demand high strength and superior wear resistance.