Effect of carbazole coating on TiO2 nanoparticles as a photosensitizer and MWCNTs on the performance of epoxy composites

Abstract

Over a short period of time, electronic assemblies have been dramatically developed with smaller size and lighter weight and 3D printing plays a crucial role in their future production. However, it is difficult to develop epoxy resins and other thermoset resins for this process because of the polymer's liquid state during processing. This work uses a UV curing technique for making flexible epoxy/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites that are suitable for future 3D printing applications. The synthesized carbazole-coated TiO2 nanoparticles, used as a photosensitizer, were characterized by their photoabsorbance, morphology, and surface property before use. The results indicated that the TiO2 nanoparticles coated with 75 wt% carbazole were appropriate for UV-cured flexible epoxy/MWCNT composites because of its fast cure kinetics after irradiation by a UV light source. The epoxy/MWCNT composites displayed low tensile properties because of the agglomeration of MWCNTs inside the epoxy matrix. In addition, the epoxy/MWCNT composites showed slightly lower thermal expansion with high electrical properties with a large amount of MWCNTs in the epoxy composites.