INdustrial PROcessing of Nano Epoxies (INPRONE)

Epoxy resins find widespread application in industrial sectors as diverse as energy, electronics, infrastructure and automotive. They are ubiquitous for tooling applications and of particular interest is their use in the rapidly expanding composites manufacturing industry. However, there is a significant mismatch between the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the epoxy resin and reinforcing fillers currently used (e.g. carbon fibre/epoxy) which ultimately leads to relatively long manufacturing cycle times. Reducing the CTE of the epoxy to that of carbon fibre would result in significant reductions in composite manufacturing cycle time, enhanced thermal conductivity and further knock on effects of increased tool durability, dimensional stability, wear and abrasion resistance and chemical and moisture resistance. This would allow epoxy materials to compete with other leading tool materials (e.g. nickel iron alloy).

The high thermal conductivity of graphene and graphene like materials has been well documented however, the translation of this property to polymeric matrices, including epoxies has not been realised. This, in the main, is associated with the large contact resistance and poor connectivity between graphene sheets combined with poor dispersion and distribution of the graphene in the matrix. In this project, we propose to overcome these hurdles by the incorporation of hybrid filler systems, where functionalised graphenes (and graphene like materials) having different dimensions from nano to micro are effectively dispersed in the epoxy matrix. This will facilitate the formation of highly interconnected percolated networks of
graphene fillers with reduced contact resistance, increased thermal conductivity and ultimately less of a mismatch in CTE with CF composites.

INPRONE is expected to deliver new graphene based hybrid filled high-performance advanced functional epoxies for tooling applications with significantly enhanced thermal conductivity properties. This will be achieved via the incorporation of functionalised graphenes having different structures across the length scales so as to maximise contacts between graphene sheets thus reducing contact resistance and increasing thermal conductivity. Furthermore, via novel graphene functionalisation the mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion between epoxy resin and filler will be reduced. The
fact that one advanced functional composite material can be made to exhibit a range of properties (e.g. high thermal conductivity coupled with tailored CTE) in a single material, consequently reducing tool manufacturing and design costs, and improving tool performance (e.g. increased wear resistance, durability, moisture resistance) will have a major impact in many commercial sectors.

Companies in the Materials Supply sector will benefit from the supply of materials into the end-user sectors and companies in the Equipment Supply sector will manufacture the machines to make these novel composites. The potential benefits and societal impacts of the project are wide, ranging from job and wealth creation to advanced training of young scientists and engineers. The benefits will be accrued through the exploitation of the materials by companies in the relevant industrial sectors, which immediately include our partner companies: Haydale Composites Solutions Ltd and Huntsman Advanced Materials Ltd. This group (UK based) forms the nucleus of our Industrial steering committee, which will be expanded through an intensive programme of company engagement, assisted by Warwick Manufacturing Group. As this project is directed at the Manufacture of these novel multi-functional materials, we anticipate a rapid translation to the marketplace, with the first products appearing shortly after the project completing.