Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO<sub>2</sub> Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates

Nayan Sur; Arup Kumar Debnath; Md. Abdul Hasib; Tanmoy Chakroborty

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3

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Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO₂ Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-08-31

- Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO₂ Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates
  Enhanced Publication
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 9, Pages: 3142-3155(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Department of Mechanical Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology, Khulna - 9203, Bangladesh
  b.Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder CO 80309, USA
- Author bio：
  
  akdebnath@me.kuet.ac.bd
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3
  CLC：
- Received：24 December 2025，
  
  Accepted：29 March 2026，
  
  Online First：15 May 2026，
  
  Published：05 September 2026
- Accepted：
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Sur, N.; Debnath, A. K.; Hasib, M. A.; Chakroborty, T. Experimental investigation of graphene and TiO₂ reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol)-based fiber metal laminates. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 3142–3155 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3.

Nayan Sur, Arup Kumar Debnath, Md. Abdul Hasib, et al. Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO₂ Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(9): 3142-3155. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3.
Sur, N.; Debnath, A. K.; Hasib, M. A.; Chakroborty, T. Experimental investigation of graphene and TiO₂ reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol)-based fiber metal laminates. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 3142–3155 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3. DOI：

Nayan Sur, Arup Kumar Debnath, Md. Abdul Hasib, et al. Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO₂ Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(9): 3142-3155. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3. DOI：

摘要

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based fiber-metal laminates reinforced with graphene (0.5 wt%–3 wt%) and TiO

(0.5 wt%–3 wt%) were fabricated

via

vacuum bag molding. Graphene at 0.5 wt% and TiO

at 2 wt% maximized tensile

flexural

and toughness properties

and reduced water absorption

while higher loadings caused property degradation.

Abstract

This study investigates the mechanical performance of hybrid fiber-metal laminates (FMLs) fabricated using a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix reinforced with woven glass and carbon fibers

further enhanced with titanium dioxide (TiO

) and graphene fillers. The composites were fabricated using the vacuum bag molding process

and to optimize the mechanical behavior

different filler loadings were incorporated as graphene at (0.5 wt%

1 wt%

and 3 wt%)

and TiO

(0.5 wt%

1 wt%

2 wt%

and 3 wt%). Mechanical tests revealed that the inclusion of filler particles significantly enhanced tensile

flexural

and toughness properties. The optimal graphene loading was found to be 0.5 wt%

resulting in an 83.4% increase in Young’s modulus and a 127% improvement in tensile strength compared to PVA composites without filler. Optimal loading for TiO

was 2% by weight

which resulted in a 102.3% increase in Young's modulus and an 81.5% increase in ultimate tensile strength. The maximum flexural properties were achieved for 0.5 wt% graphene-loaded composites

with a flexural strength of 56.6 MPa and a flexural modulus of 19.3 GPa

while the highest toughness value of 4.2 MPa was also observed at this loading.

Density analysis showed a slight increase in composite density with filler addition and minimum porosity at 0.5 wt% graphene and 2 wt% TiO

consistent with improved mechanical performance. XRD and FTIR analysis confirmed successful filler incorporation

enhanced crystallinity for TiO

-filled composites

and the SEM analysis confirmed the strong interfacial interactions without altering the PVA matrix chemistry

while higher filler loadings led to property degradation due to particle agglomeration and stress concentration effects.

关键词

Keywords

references

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Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO2 Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates

DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3689-3

摘要

Abstract

关键词

Keywords

references

Experimental Investigation of Graphene and TiO₂ Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Fiber Metal Laminates