Mechanical properties of composite material reinforced with silica particles obtained from biomass modified with double-layered hydroxides

Abstract

Silica particles were produced form rice husk and used as reinforcement in the polymer matrix. The obtained silica particles' surfaces were modified with layered double hydroxides, which enabled better reinforcement in the PMMA matrix. Coprecipitation was used to synthetize Fe Al layered double hydroxides (LDH) with a Fe:Al cation content of 3:1 and an FeAl-LDH: silica ratio of 1:1. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy with EDS were used to characterize the synthesized particles. The prepared particle amounts in the PMMA matrix were 1, 3, and 5 wt. %. The purpose of this study was to see if the obtained SiO2 particles, as well as their modification with FeAl-LDH, had any effect on the mechanical properties of polymer composite materials. The mechanical characterization of obtained composites was done using Vickers microindentation tests and impact testing. The Vickers micro-hardness test showed that the addition of reinforcement increases the hardness of the composite. When compared to the matrix, the toughness of the composite material with a higher content of particles (5 wt. %) in the energy absorbed in this impact test was three times higher.