Prevention of UVR degradation on polymer-based composites by nano-zno & HGFS (infiltration)

The harmfulness of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to human bodies and polymer-based composites has recently been a concern in all research and engineering industries. As the usage of these composites has been massively increased, the protection of the human and the composites from UVR attack is certainly being a focus worldwide. To protect the human bodies and the composites from the harmful UVR, nano-ZnO particles that possess intrinsic UV absorbability were introduced into polymer materials. Nano-ZnO filled epoxy-based smart memory polymers (EP-SMPs) and styrene-based smart memory polymers (S-SMPs) were developed to achieve their lower degree of UV degradation and maintain their moderate level of mechanical properties. In this paper, an alternative is presented to fill nano-ZnO into hollow glass fibres (HGFs) and these fibres were embedded inside epoxy resin to form a UV-resistant composite. The function of HGF is to be a protective shell for the nano-ZnO particles from wearing away and dissolution out of the resin. Vacuum infiltration technique was used to fill nano-ZnO/epoxy into HGFs. In experiments, the composite with 4 wt.% nano-ZnO/epoxy filled into HGFs with their intervals of 0.2mm obtained the best UV absorbability. Because of the small inner diameter of HGF, the infiltration condition of nano-ZnO/epoxy was a concern for achieving a good UV absorbability and structural properties of the composite. This paper discusses the rheology behaviour and the characteristics of nano-ZnO/epoxy inside the HGF.