Mechanical and anti corrosive studies of unsaturated polyester resin modified with reduced graphene oxide halloysite nanotube and halloysite graphene hybrid system

Abstract

newlineUnsaturated polyester resin (UPE) is a type of thermosetting newlinepolymeric material that is widely employed in the automotive sector due newlineto its high performance-to-cost ratio. It has been widely employed in newlineaircraft, automotive, infrastructure, sports, construction materials, and newlinemarine applications due to its good mechanical performance, ease of newlineprocessability, and high chemical and corrosion resistance. In this newlinestudy, we chose isophthalic polyester resin, which is particularly useful newlinein the marine industry. Isophthalic polyester resins are made by newlinecombining isophthalic acid with glycol. Iso resins provide superior newlinethermal resistance, excellent chemical and water resistance, and good newlinemechanical properties. newlineHowever, most cured UPE composites show easy brittle failure, newlinepoor resistance to crack initiation and propagation and inferior impact newlinestrength owing to their three-dimensional crosslink structure, which limits newlinetheir application in high value added areas. Modification of polyester newlineresin with nano fillers has been tried as one of the means to improve the newlineimpact, thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer.Nanomaterials are often regarded as the most trending material in newlinethe field of polymer composites. Graphene, an intriguing nanomaterial, is newlineemployed in a wide range of applications, including polymer composites, newlinebiosensors, drug delivery, super capacitors and nanoelectronic devices, newlinebatteries, solar cells, and industrial protective coatings.