Effect of environmental aging on mechanical properties of graphene nanoplatelet/nanocarbon aerogel hybrid-reinforced epoxy/carbon fiber composite laminates

In this study, graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)/nano-carbon aerogel (NCA) hybrids were used to reinforce epoxy/carbon fiber composite (CFRP) laminates to investigate the environmental aging effect on their mechanical properties. Different amounts (i.e., 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 wt%) of the GNP/NCA (1:1) hybrids were dispersed in epoxy resin to prepare GNP/NCA/CFRP laminates. The mechanical properties of these reinforced laminates were investigated under three different environmental aging conditions (i.e., 25 degrees C, 65% relative humidity (RH); 25 degrees C, 85% RH; and 85 degrees C, 85% RH). Furthermore, the micro-mechanisms were examined under the environmental aging conditions for improved mechanical properties of the GNP/NCA/CFRP laminate. The impacts of various environmental parameters, i.e., temperature and moisture, were discussed. The reinforced laminates showed better mechanical properties than neat laminates under all three environmental aging conditions. Based on the published results and the experimental results obtained herein, the mechanisms of the GNP/NCA hybrid-reinforced CFRP laminate were defined.