The role of interface on dynamic mechanical properties, dielectric performance, conductivity, and thermal stability of electrospun carbon nanofibers reinforced epoxy

Abstract Polymer nanocomposites containing pristine (PCNF) and amine‐functionalized (NFCNF) electrospun carbon nanofibers were fabricated. The amine‐terminated functional groups on CNFs, with a surface coverage of 2.76 mmol/g, react with the epoxy monomers forming covalent linkages for better dispersion and stronger interface. The improved load transfer resulted in an improvement of 82% in storage modulus (rubbery region~70°C) and 20°C increase in the glass transition temperature for 1 wt% NFCNF‐epoxy. Tensile strength and modulus improves by 22% and 27%, respectively, for 2 wt% NFCNF‐epoxy. The thermal stability, dielectric properties and AC/DC conductivity are discussed in terms of the interfacial characteristics. These results highlight the potential of electrospun CNFs as structural and functional reinforcement.