Study of Mechanical Properties and Water Absorption Behavior of TiO2 Nanofiller-Enhanced Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites: A Review

In the present scenario, glass fabric polymer is playing a significant role in the field of structural and aerospace industries due to its lightweight, high tensile strength, and corrosion resistance. The GFRP laminate composite is fabricated by hand lay-up process and subsequently submerged in a seawater bath at a certain time and temperature. We observed that tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus have all properties decreased due to the absorption of water via capillary action inside the laminate composite. The development of mechanical and physical properties of nanofiller incorporated (with the help of mechanical stirring and prob ultrasonication) into polymer matrix composite strongly depends on the elemental composition of filler materials and the size of its particles. To increase the mechanical properties, varying quantities of TiO2 nanofiller were combined with the polymer epoxy matrix in the current study. The results demonstrated that the flexural and interlaminar shear strengths of water-aged nanocomposites are improved with the inclusion of a fraction weight percent of TiO2 nanofiller into the polymer epoxy matrix.