SBIR Phase I: Tough polymer composite materials through iLAMB, or interlaminar modifications through master batching

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project objective is to overcome weaknesses of current composite materials due to delamination and develop composites with more than 100% improvement in interlaminar toughness. The project aims to accelerate the innovation of epoxy/resin nanoadditives for composite materials in order to solve this problem. Composites are expected to be the fastest growing application segment in the global epoxy resin market, with an estimated compounded annual growth rate of ~6% and an expected market value of $14.5 billion by 2024. The key drivers in the market are the end-use industries which include aerospace, automotive, transportation, and coatings. There is a critical need to make these materials safer and more reliable by increasing their low velocity impact resistance, and to increase the adhesion between laminar layers. The product could have an obtainable market volume of $36 million in the US alone by 2021. The intellectual merit of this project is in the development of new hybrid nanofillers based on Graphene Oxide (GO) and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS). These nanofillers can be added to epoxy/vinyl ester/polyester matrices through a "Master Batch" process to enhance the interlaminar fracture toughness of commercial composites. This increase in fracture toughness can be more than 100% at extremely low addition levels (~0.2% by weight of the composite) without any changes in current manufacturing processes. Nanofillers such as carbon nanotubes and nanoclays are difficult to add to composite matrices because of their tendency to agglomerate and result in poor dispersion, apart from major changes in current manufacturing practices. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated that it is possible to develop these hybrid nanofillers based on GO and POSS that can be added to composite matrices with excellent dispersion in composite industry standard solvents. The challenges of dispersion are overcome through hybridization and Master Batching. Characterization of the cured Master Batches as well as measurement of physical properties of sample composites will be carried out to optimize the nanofiller content and the processing parameters.