Sustainable Nanononwoven Electrospun Fabric from Virgin and Recycled Nylon Waste and Its Reinforcement by Graphene Oxide: A Study on Mechanical Characteristics

The present research intends to fabricate electrospun nylon-66 (N66) in both virgin (N66) and recycled N66 (RN66) nanofibers with integrated graphene oxide (GO) reinforcement for environmental sustainability. Subsequent mechanical and thermal performances of the composite nanofibers were studied. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses of GO, N66, RN66, and RN66 with varying weight percentages of GO were performed, while SEM and TEM results of the nanofibers revealed effective dispersion of GO within the matrix. The impact of GO on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites, particularly tensile strength, indicated that 0.5% GO enhanced ultimate tensile stress by 7.53% compared to N66 and by 51.52% relative to RN66. Thus, GO-incorporated RN66 nonwoven nanofibers can be effectively used for load-bearing applications.