Mechanical properties assesment of electrospun TEOS nanofibers with epon 862/W resin system in a fiber glass composite

Understanding the fundamental mechanical properties of composites of epoxy resin system mixed with nanofibers is important for aerospace applications. The results can be used to tailor specific design, manufacture and applications to the fabrication of composite materials for aerospace use. Polymer nanofibers are of considerable interest for many kinds of applications including filters, reinforcing agents, biomedical/medical materials and secondary reinforcement in structural composites. Epoxy resin EPON 862 has a very low molecular weight, low processing viscosity and when mixed with the curing agent W and electrospun nanofibers, excellent mechanical properties can be achieved. Electrospinning technique is an effective method of producing uniform diameter nanofibers in random and organized form using Tetra ethlyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) sol-gel. Electrospinning process involves the application of electrostatic field to a capillary connected to a reservoir containing a polymer solution. This study investigates the mechanical properties assessment of TEOS electropsun nanofibers of 0.2 to 0.8 weight percentages of EPON 862 epoxy resin with sonication amplitudes, and compares it to composite without TEOS electropsun nanofibers resin system and without sonication. Other factors such as processing temperatures, degassing and curing cycle were factored into assessing the tensile mechanical properties like strength and modulus.