Fuente: Journal of applied polymer Lugar: RESEARCH ARTICLE The simultaneous addition of montmorillonite and halloysite nanotubes results in a more pronounced improvement in the impact properties of the glass fiber-epoxy composite compared to using each nanofiller individually.

ABSTRACT
This work explores the mechanical properties of E-glass fiber/epoxy (GF/EP) composite under the simultaneous addition of halloysite nanotubes (HNT) and montmorillonite (MMT). With this aim, fixed total HNT-MMT contents of 1 and 3 wt.% were utilized in the EP matrix. For each loading level, five series of specimens with varying HNT-to-MMT weight ratios (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0) were fabricated. Mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated using tensile, bending, impact, and mode I fracture toughness tests. Results showed that the simultaneous inclusion of HNT and MMT significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the GF/EP composite. The best tensile, flexural, and impact strengths were observed in the 1H25M75 specimen (1 wt.% total nanofiller: 25% HNT & 75% MMT). Compared with the unmodified GF/EP composite, this specimen showed improvements of 55%, 57%, and 58% in tensile, flexural, and impact strengths, respectively. Furthermore, the 1H25M75 specimen showed 58% and 128% increases in crack initiation and propagation fracture toughness, respectively, over the unmodified specimen. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed enhanced GF-matrix interfacial bonding in nanofiller-reinforced composites. Given their improved mechanical properties, the developed HNT–MMT reinforced GF/EP composites have potential applications in high-performance components like aerospace, automotive, and marine structures.