Improving Fracture Toughness of Tetrafunctional Epoxy with Functionalized 2D Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets

In this work, improved fracture toughness of tetra-functional epoxy polymer was obtained using two-dimensional (2H polytype) molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nano-platelets as a filler. Simultaneous in-situ exfoliation and functionalization of MoS₂ were achieved in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) via sonication. The aim was to improve the dispersion of MoS₂ nanoplatelets in epoxy and enhance the interfacial interaction between nanoplatelets and epoxy matrix. Epoxy nanocomposites with CTAB functionalized MoS₂ (f-MoS₂) nanoplatelets, ranging in content from 0.1 wt% up to 1 wt%, were fabricated. Modified MoS₂ improved the fracture properties (81%) of tetrafunctional epoxy nanocomposites. The flexural strength and compressive strength improved by 64% and 47%, respectively, with 0.25 wt% loading of f-MoS₂ nanoplatelets compared to neat epoxy. The addition of f-MoS₂ nanoplatelets enhanced the thermomechanical properties of epoxy. This work demonstrated the potential of organically modified MoS₂ nanoplatelets for improving the fracture and thermal behavior of tetrafunctional epoxy nanocomposites.