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Polymers
Volume 17
Issue 20
10.3390/polym17202759
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Effects of the Mixing Method of Expanded Graphite on Thermal, Electrical, and Water Transport Properties of Thermosetting Nanocomposites

by
Raffaele Longo
1,*,
Elisa Calabrese
1,
Francesca Aliberti
1,
Luigi Vertuccio
2,
Giorgia De Piano
1,
Roberto Pantani
1,
Marialuigia Raimondo
1 and
Liberata Guadagno
1,*
1
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
2
Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polymers 2025, 17(20), 2759; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17202759
Submission received: 12 September 2025 / Revised: 3 October 2025 / Accepted: 13 October 2025 / Published: 15 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Design, Preparation and Processing of Functional Polymer Composites)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The present research aims to investigate the impact of various mixing techniques (centrifugal planetary mixing, ultrasonication, and high-temperature magnetic stirring) on the properties of nanocomposite epoxy resins using expanded graphite particles. Differential scanning calorimetry reveals that the curing behavior and glass transition temperature are influenced by the selected method, indicating that a suitable choice allows increasing curing degree (C.D.) and glass transition temperature up to 10% and 12%, respectively. Morphological analysis performed via Scanning Electron Microscopy and Tunneling Atomic Force Microscopy offers detailed insights into the dispersion characteristics of fillers within polymer matrices, which sensitively affect the properties of the materials. The electrical conductivity values vary by more than five orders of magnitude among the various mixing methods. Centrifugal mixing leads to a decrease in the equilibrium concentration of water (Ceq) by up to 23% compared to that of the unfilled matrix, thanks to the chemical interactions that occur between the graphitic particles and the epoxy matrix (detectable via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy). Such a reduction is strongly desired in strategic fields such as the transport sector. The analysis of the obtained results suggests choosing the dispersion method of the filler in the matrix by considering the required performance for the specific planned application.
Keywords: expanded graphite; epoxy resin; nanocomposites; mixing expanded graphite; epoxy resin; nanocomposites; mixing

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MDPI and ACS Style

Longo, R.; Calabrese, E.; Aliberti, F.; Vertuccio, L.; De Piano, G.; Pantani, R.; Raimondo, M.; Guadagno, L. Effects of the Mixing Method of Expanded Graphite on Thermal, Electrical, and Water Transport Properties of Thermosetting Nanocomposites. Polymers 2025, 17, 2759. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17202759

AMA Style

Longo R, Calabrese E, Aliberti F, Vertuccio L, De Piano G, Pantani R, Raimondo M, Guadagno L. Effects of the Mixing Method of Expanded Graphite on Thermal, Electrical, and Water Transport Properties of Thermosetting Nanocomposites. Polymers. 2025; 17(20):2759. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17202759

Chicago/Turabian Style

Longo, Raffaele, Elisa Calabrese, Francesca Aliberti, Luigi Vertuccio, Giorgia De Piano, Roberto Pantani, Marialuigia Raimondo, and Liberata Guadagno. 2025. "Effects of the Mixing Method of Expanded Graphite on Thermal, Electrical, and Water Transport Properties of Thermosetting Nanocomposites" Polymers 17, no. 20: 2759. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17202759

APA Style

Longo, R., Calabrese, E., Aliberti, F., Vertuccio, L., De Piano, G., Pantani, R., Raimondo, M., & Guadagno, L. (2025). Effects of the Mixing Method of Expanded Graphite on Thermal, Electrical, and Water Transport Properties of Thermosetting Nanocomposites. Polymers, 17(20), 2759. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17202759

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