Study of Thermal Degradation Kinetics of Epoxy/Carbon Nanotubes Composites

Epoxy resins usually have a brittle structure due to the cross-linked structure and poor resistance to crack growth. Therefore, increasing the toughness of epoxy resins in the presence of polymer nanoparticles is one of the fields of interest for researchers. Studying the degradation of epoxy nanocomposites and modeling the degradation kinetics have become widely used as an essential tool for engineers to predict the thermal stability of materials before using in industry, which leads to reduction in costs and an increase in product quality. Surface modification of carbon nanotubes and dispersion of nanoparticles are two important factors in the thermal stability of epoxy nanocomposites in the presence of carbon nanotubes. Hybrid epoxy nanocomposite in the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and clay nanoparticles showed that the simultaneous presence of these nanoparticles can act as a preventive agent against thermal degradation and increase the activation energy of the degradation reaction. In this article, the effect of carbon nanotubes on morphology, rheological and mechanical properties, thermal gravimetric analysis, thermal stability of epoxy resin, and modeling of degradation kinetics of epoxy nanocomposites in the presence of carbon nanotubes are reviewed.