Improved mechanical performance of graphene oxide based artificial nacre composites by regulating the micro-laminated structure and interface bonding

An investigation has been performed on the effect of micro-laminated structure and interface bonding on the mechanical performance of graphene oxide (GO) based artificial nacre composites. These composites with different laminated structures were obtained by regulating the space between GO sheets. The experiment and simulation results showed that the optimized laminated structure could improve the internal normal and shear stress distribution, and the interface bonding was a key factor. Therefore, three different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) addition schemes were designed, and a well combined structure of GO-CNTs was obtained, which would induce a synergistic effect on the interface bonding between the GO and polymer, then further improve the strength and toughness of the composites. These results may provide guidance for the microstructure optimization design strategy of high-performance bio-inspired materials.