Effect of Molybdenum Disulfide Exfoliation Conditions on the Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites

In this work, the MoS2 fillers were prepared through chemical exfoliation method and used as fillers to fabricate epoxy (EP)/MoS2 nanocomposites. The effects of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) intercalation conditions on the properties of EP/MoS2 nanocomposites were investigated. As the intercalation time was prolonged, the surface of MoS2 exhibited a totally crumpled structure and more functional groups formed. Because of the higher functional group concentration, the interfacial adhesion force between EP and MoS2 was enhanced. With the addition of 1.0 wt% exfoliated MoS2 fillers, the tensile strength and tensile modulus of EP were even improved ~500% and ~6800%, respectively. Therefore, this work provides a facile way to produce high-performance EP nanocomposites.