The effect of incorporation of hybrid silica and cobalt ferrite nanofillers on the mechanical characteristics of glass fiber‐reinforced polymeric composites

Abstract

Abstract Recently, hybrid nanofillers loading has been utilized to fabricate multifunctional composites. In this study, silica (SiO 2 ) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles were combined to form a new hybrid composite structure. Nanofilled glass/epoxy hybrid composite laminates were fabricated using hand lay‐up technique. SiO 2 /CoFe 2 O 4 hybrid fillers were dispersed in epoxy matrix with sonication. The effect of incorporating SiO 2 /CoFe 2 O 4 hybrid nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of glass fiber/epoxy composites was investigated. The resultant SiO 2 /CoFe 2 O 4 hybrid nanocomposites showed good mechanical properties as compared to hybrid nanocomposites fabricated by individually loading SiO 2 or CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles as well as pristine glass fiber/epoxy composite. A visible improvement in the mechanical properties was observed with hybrid nanocomposite that consisted of CoFe 2 O 4 /epoxy core layers and SiO 2 /epoxy skin layers detached with intermediate layers of hybrid SiO 2 + CoFe 2 O 4 /epoxy. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images of tensile and flexural fractured surfaces reveal a good fiber/matrix interfacial bonding.