The role of a biobased epoxy monomer in the preparation of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/MWCNT composites

A biobased epoxy monomer (GA-II) derived from gallic acid for multiwalls carbon nanotubes’ (MWCNTs) dispersion improvement is reported in this article. The aromatic group in its molecular structure made it to be absorbed onto the surface of MWCNTs via π-π interactions and the GA-II anchored MWCNT could be homogeneously dispersed in DGEBA matrix via sonication. That was proved by Raman and UV spectroscopy as well as scanning electron microscope. After curing reaction, the epoxy/MWCNT composites demonstrated enhanced mechanical properties, excellent thermal conductivity, and high electrical conductivity. With the addition of only 0.5 wt% GA-II modified MWCNT, the tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the composites were improved by 28%, 40%, 22%, and 16%, respectively. The thermal and electrical conductivities were also improved from 0.15 to 0.25 W/m K (67% increased) and from 0.7 × 10 −14 to 0.24 × 10 −4 S cm −1 (10 orders increased). POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1640–1645, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers