Effect of γ irradiation on the properties of functionalized carbon-doped boron nitride reinforced epoxy resin composite

• BCN was surface modified with two silane coupling agents. • Composites exhibited excellent properties before and after gamma irradiation. • The performance of composites can be improved by improving the interfacial compatibility. • Modified BCN could weaken oxidative degradation of EP under γ irradiation. Polymer matrix composites reinforced with boron nitride (BN) have attracted much attention in the nuclear industry due to their attractive properties. Nevertheless, the performance of such composites largely depends on matrix–filler interactions. Herein, carbon-doped boron nitride (BCN), modified by two silane coupling agents, was used to fabricate epoxy composites, and the effect of gamma irradiation on the properties of epoxy resin composites was investigated. The research showed that the modified BCN/epoxy composites prepared herein exhibited excellent mechanical and thermal properties before and after gamma irradiation. The tensile strength of the composites increased up to 63.1 MPa at 0.5 wt % loadings compared to neat epoxy (54.7 MPa). After irradiation at 900 kGy, the tensile strength of the composites was 32.5% higher than that of neat EP. This improvement was ascribed to the excellent compatibility of the modified BCN and epoxy. Moreover, the char yield and the glass transition temperature significantly increased with incorporation of modified BCN before and after irradiation. The mechanism for the enhanced performance was that the barrier consisting of BN protected the matrix from further oxidative degradation. This study suggested that functionalized BN more effectively enhanced epoxy properties before and after irradiation.