Preparation of Furfuryl Alcohol‐Functionalized Carbon Nanotube and Epoxidized Novolac Resin Composites with High Char Yield

Epoxidized novolac resin (ENR) composites with high thermal stability and char residue were prepared by incorporation of furfuryl alcohol‐modified carbon nanotubes (CNTFA). Modification of oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with furfuryl alcohol resulted in their improved dispersion in the resin matrix. After curing of ENR in the presence of CNTFA with ethylenediamine, thermally stable composites were obtained. Successful modification of CNTs with furfuryl alcohol was confirmed using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA results showed that degradation temperature and char residue of cured ENR were considerably increased by incorporation of CNTFA. CNTFA reached to char residue of 91.5% at 600°C, which shows that about 3.3 wt% of CNTFA is composed of furfuryl alcohol. Addition of 2 and 4 wt% of CNTFA into the ENR matrix results in increase of char content from 44.7% for to 45.4 and 49.4%, respectively. X‐ray diffraction showed that CNTFA was uniquely dispersed in the ENR matrix. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images showed tubular and entangled structure of CNTFA. Finally, these results show that this approach can be considered in production of thermal‐resistant composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E1231–E1236, 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers