NanoSiO2 strengthens and toughens epoxy resin/basalt fiber composites by acting as a nano-mediator

Abstract A new type of material was prepared by modifying epoxy/basalt fiber composites with nanoSiO 2 . Mechanical tests showed that the nanoSiO 2 -modified epoxy/basalt fiber composites displayed significant improvement over the unmodified epoxy/basalt fiber composites in interlaminar shear strength and notch impact strength. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the nanoSiO 2 was homogeneously dispersed in the epoxy matrix and adsorbed large numbers of epoxy molecules onto the surface. Many of the nanoSiO 2 -epoxy complexes tightly surrounded basalt fibers to form transition layers. Therefore, nanoSiO 2 can act as a nano-mediator to promote epoxy molecules to infiltrate between and bind to basalt fibers, which enhances the synergistic cooperation between epoxy and basalt fibers in resisting external forces. This study indicates that modification with nanoSiO 2 is an effective pathway to improve the performance of epoxy/basalt fiber composites and broaden their application fields.