Effect of bone ash fillers on mechanical and thermal properties of biobased epoxy nanocomposites

In this study, the fabrication and characterization of bone ash filled biobased epoxy resin (Super SAP 100/1000, contains 37% biobased carbon content) nanocomposites are presented. Biosource bone ash was modified by size reduction and surface modification processes using a combination of ball milling and sonochemical techniques and characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The modified bone ash particles were incorporated into biobased epoxy with noncontact mixing process. The as-fabricated nanocomposites were characterized using various thermal and mechanical analyses. The nanocomposites showed significant improvement in flexural strength (41.25%) and modulus (34.56%) for 2 wt% filler loading. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results showed improvement in both storage modulus and loss modulus. Additionally, DMA results showed a slight reduction in glass transition temperature which also complies with differential scanning calorimetry results. Thermomechanical analysis results showed a reduction in the coefficient of thermal expansion. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed improved thermal stability at both onset of degradation and the major degradation. These enhanced thermal and mechanical performances of the epoxy nanocomposites allows them to be suitable for lightweight aerospace, automotive, and biomedical applications.