Synthesis of Hybrid Nano-Embedded Epoxy Composites and Their Thermomechanical Performance

The current study aims to synthesize and analyze the mechanical, thermal, and thermomechanical behavior of mono- and hybrid (CaCO<inf>3</inf> and TiO<inf>2</inf>) nano-embedded epoxy composites. Hybrid modification using both nano-CaCO<inf>3</inf> and -TiO<inf>2</inf> (1 wt.% each) has been successful in improving tensile strength (20.5%), flexural toughness (57.22%), and fracture toughness (11.8%) as compared to unmodified epoxy. The best mechanical improvements using nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> were observed at a 1.0 wt.% concentration, resulting in noticeable increases in tensile strength (85.27 MPa), modulus (2.85 GPa), and toughness (5.35 MJ/m³). Similarly, nano-CaCO<inf>3</inf> showed maximum effectiveness at 0.55 wt.%, significantly enhancing mechanical performance during tensile, flexural, and single-edge notched bending (SENB) fracture analysis. Thermogravimetric and dynamic mechanical analysis are performed to analyze the thermal stability, glass transition temperature (T<inf>g</inf>), storage modulus (E′) and loss factor (tanδ), respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis confirms that the structural integrity of the epoxy matrix remained intact throughout the particle incorporation process. FESEM fractography provided detailed information on the interaction of nanoparticles within the epoxy matrix. The findings reveal the potential of low-varying percentages of nanomaterials CaCO<inf>3</inf> and TiO<inf>2</inf>, applied either separately or synergistically, as powerful modifiers capable of significantly enhancing both the mechanical durability and thermal resilience of epoxy-based systems.