Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are efficient nanofillers for improving the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy resins due to their high stiffness, aspect ratio, and interfacial reinforcement ability. This study employs a three-factor, three-level Box–Behnken Design (BBD) to investigate the combined effect of GNP content (0.5–3.5 wt.%), hardener concentration (9–17 phr), and post-curing temperature (30–120 °C) on DGEBA/TETA epoxy nanocomposites. Mechanical, thermal, dynamic mechanical, and morphological characterizations (flexural testing, DMA, TGA, DSC, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and AFM) established structure–property correlations. The optimized formulation (2.0 wt.% GNP, 9 phr hardener, and 120 °C post-curing) exhibited superior reinforcement, with flexural strength of 322.0 ± 12.8 MPa, flexural modulus of 9.7 ± 0.5 GPa, and strain at break of 4.4 ± 0.2%, corresponding to increases of 197%, 155%, and 91% compared with neat epoxy. DMA confirmed a rise in storage modulus from 2.9 to 7.5 GPa and a Tg of 143 °C, while TGA showed a 15 °C improvement in thermal stability. Statistical analysis identified post-curing temperature as the dominant factor governing Tg, stiffness, and thermal stability, with synergistic contributions from GNP content and hardener concentration to the overall network performance. These results surpass those of GO- and CNT-based systems, demonstrating the superior efficiency of GNPs under optimized conditions. The proposed approach provides a robust pathway for developing epoxy nanocomposites with low filler content and enhanced multifunctional performance.

Hybrid nanocomposites combining biopolymer fibers incorporated with nanoparticles (NPs) have received increasing attention due to their remarkable characteristics. Inorganic NPs are typically chosen for their properties, such as magnetism and thermal or electrical conductivity, for example. Meanwhile, the biopolymer fiber component is a backbone, and could act as a support structure for the NPs. This shift towards biopolymers over traditional synthetic polymers is motivated by their sustainability, compatibility with biological systems, non-toxic nature, and natural decomposition. This study employed the solution blow spinning (SBS) method to obtain a nanocomposite comprising poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), PVA, and gelatin biodegradable polymer fibers incorporated with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with poly(acrylic acid), PAA_2k, coded as γ-Fe₂O₃-NPs-PAA_2k. The fiber production process entailed a preliminary investigation to determine suitable solvents, polymer concentrations, and spinning parameters. γ-Fe₂O₃-NPs were synthesized via chemical co-precipitation as maghemite and coated with PAA_2k through the precipitation–redispersion protocol in order to prepare γ-Fe₂O₃-NPs-PAA_2k. Biopolymeric fibers containing coated NPs with sub-micrometer diameters were obtained, with NP concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 1.7% wt. The synthesized NPs underwent characterization via dynamic light scattering, zeta potential analysis, and infrared spectroscopy, while the biopolymer fibers were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Overall, this study demonstrates the successful implementation of SBS for producing biopolymeric fibers incorporating iron oxide NPs, where the amalgamation of materials demonstrated superior thermal behavior to the plain polymers. The thorough characterization of the NPs and fibers provided valuable insights into their properties, paving the way for their potential applications in various fields such as biomedical engineering, environmental remediation, and functional materials.