Effect of GO modification and curing on formation of ordered structures in epoxy composites

Abstract Modifications of GO by polymer chains may promote, in addition to exfoliation, also formation of ordered structures in epoxy. However, the contribution of self- assembly in the uncured matrix and reaction-induced phase separation to this process is not clear. SAXS study of analogous liquid and cured epoxy reveals that single grafted GO forms ordered structures only due to RIPS of grafted rubber. The marked self-assembly of bimodally grafted GO (BGO) before curing indicates that such modification changes its ordering performance substantially. Moreover, formation of ordered lamellar structures in liquid epoxy accompanied by easy migration of BGO may lead to formation of these arrays at the interface in carbon fibre composites. As a result, in-situ formation of effective nacre-like structures on the surface of CF, increasing delamination resistance, can be achieved.