Anticorrosive and electromagnetic shielding response of a graphene/TiO2–epoxy nanocomposite with enhanced mechanical properties

Abstract

The effect of TiO₂ nanoparticles (25–35 nm), graphene (GP) and the combination (TiO₂ + graphene) on anti-corrosion, EMI shielding and mechanical properties of an epoxy matrix have been studied. The nanocomposites were prepared with the help of an ultrasonic mixing process. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to identify the morphology of fillers and their distribution in the epoxy matrix. The graphene/TiO₂–epoxy nanocomposite (epoxy + 0.25 wt% GP + 0.25 wt% TiO₂) showed excellent anti-corrosion performance with maximum corrosion protection increased up to 99.96% and also exhibited a total shielding effectiveness (SE_T) of −11 dB (>90% attenuation) compared to neat epoxy with SE_T ≈ −3 dB (50% attenuation). The graphene/TiO₂–epoxy nanocomposite showed maximum enhancement of about 36% and 84% in tensile strength and storage modulus respectively as compared to neat epoxy.