Synthesis of Graphene Oxide from Different Precursors and its Fiber Reinforced Nanocomposites

Abstract

Thesis is divided in 4 chapters. Chapter-1 describes the background of nanomaterials, carbon-based nanomaterials including graphene and its derivatives along with literature survey and scope of the work. This Chapter discusses detailed information about different synthesis methods for graphene from different precursors, i.e., coal and graphite and related advancements along with the limitations, utilization of these types of nanofiller in polymer composites for improved mechanical performance. A thorough literature survey has been done to understand the reinforcement of different nanofillers in the E-Glass based epoxy composites. Chapter-2 presents new data on the feasibility of using a facile one-pot process with HNO3 to synthesize graphene oxide (GO) from bituminous coal (BC) as well as anthracite coal procured from coalfields in India. The synthesized graphene oxide from bituminous coal (BC-GO) and semi-anthracite coal (AC-GO) was characterized using various techniques including SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, XPS, BET-BJH, LRS, TEM, SAED, AFM, and DLS. These results were then compared with those for GO derived from graphite and purified AC using modified Hummers method. The characterization data revealed both similarities and significant differences in the properties of these materials. Furthermore, the study explores the potential application of coal-derived GO by studying the mechanical properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer nanocomposites with AC-GO as a nanofiller. The results demonstrate that coal-derived GO effectively enhances the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. In Chapter-3, we have compared the effect of various precursor-based graphene oxide (GO) nanofillers on enhancing the mechanical performance of E-glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites (EGFPs). GO derived from bituminous coal (BC-GO) and graphite (Gr-GO) were dispersed into epoxy resin matrix. The resulting mixture was combined with E-glass fiber mats using vacuum-assisted resin infusion molding. Notable improvements