Effect of acidic environment on absorptive, morphological, mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of glass-carbon/epoxy-based hybrid composites

This study experimentally investigated the effects of acidic environments on the absorptive, morphological, mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of glass-carbon/epoxy-based hybrid composites. For this purpose, hybrid composite specimens were conditioned by immersion in an acidic environment with pH 1.0 at -10, 25, and 40 °C for different periods (1 day, 1–3-6–9-12 weeks). A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the properties of dry and acid-immersed specimens and to examine failures due to the acidic environment and temperature. It has been observed that all properties of hybrid composites are significantly affected by acidic environmental conditions, and failure development is highly dependent on acidic ambient temperature and exposure time.