Constructing Novel Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Composites through a Biomimetic Approach: Connecting Glass Fiber with Nanosized Boron Nitride by Polydopamine Coating

A biomimetic method was developed to construct novel fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composites. By mimicking mussel adhesive proteins, a monolayer of polydopamine was coated on glass fiber (GF) surface. The polydopamine-treated GF (D-GF) adsorbed boron nitride (BN) nanoparticles, while obtaining micronano multiscale hybrid fillers BN-D-GF. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the strong interfacial interaction brought by the polydopamine benefits the loading amount as well as dispersion of the nano-BN on GF's surface. The BN-D-GF was incorporated into epoxy resin to construct FRP nanocomposites. The morphology, dynamic mechanical and thermal characteristics of the FRP nanocomposites were analyzed. SEM morphology revealed that BN-D-GF heterogeneous dispersed in epoxy matrix. There was good adhesion between the polymer matrix and the BN-D-GF filler. The dynamic modulus and mechanical loss were studied using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Compared with neat epoxy and untreated GF reinforced composites, BN-D-GF/epoxy and D-GF/epoxy systems showed improved mechanical properties. The thermal conductivity, Shore D hardness, and insulation properties were also enhanced.