Abstract
Vinylester nanocomposites with graphene and carbon nanotubes were investigated regarding thermal and viscoelastic behaviour, flexural properties, hardness, scratch resistance and electrical conductivity. The latter showed a percolation threshold for the graphene nanocomposites at ∼2 wt-%, whereas the nanotube system exhibited this transition at 0·03 wt-%. Investigations (SEM) by charge contrast imaging demonstrated a high degree of dispersion of both fillers, with the formation of a continuous percolation network. Quantitative tests regarding the corrosion resistance revealed that the conductive hybrid composites, applied as a coating to a metal substrate, exhibited a better performance than the neat vinylester.
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful for the bilateral cooperation project funded by the College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The authors thank Mr M. Nedanov for his help in the experimental work. The authors would also like to acknowledge Mr D. Popescu (DSM Composite Resins) for the provided samples of VE resin.