Epoxy containing micro-nano carbonaceous composite additives

Epoxy powder was prepared by ball-milling. This powder was mixed with single-layer graphene oxide (GO) powder in a crucible and ball-milled together to form a hybrid additive. This additive was mixed with liquid resin. Beside the neat epoxy, samples of epoxy containing 5 wt% of epoxy powder and 0.5 wt% GO were prepared. This fabrication technique helps with the dispersion of the GO within the resin and leaves the glass transition temperature the same, being around 89 °C. It was found that a treatment consisting of exposing the samples at 130 °C for 24 h was sufficient to obtain a stable dielectric response. This post-treatment brings about an increase of 2-3 degrees on the glass transition temperature, indicating a slight increase in bonding. Finally, with GO involved, the post-treatment seemingly resulted into an increase of the electrical conductivity by a factor 3 at low frequencies.