Graphene oxide and silane-modified graphene oxide/unsaturated polyester resin nanocomposites: A comparative cure kinetic and diffusion study

•Activation energy was changed by adding graphene oxide.•Activation energy was changed by adding silane-modified graphene oxide.•Diffusion was changed by adding particles.•Advanced isoconversional method was used to analysis the curing kinetics. The curing behavior of pure unsaturated polyester resin (Neat UP), resin containing 0.5 wt% graphene oxide (UPGO) and resin containing 0.5 wt% graphene oxide modified by silane agent (UPMGO) was studied. The kinetic parameters of the systems were calculated using the advanced isoconversional method. The cure index was used to evaluate the curing quality of the systems. The results showed that the functional groups on the surfaces of graphene oxide and modified graphene oxide caused significant changes in the activation energies of different regions of resin curing. The formation of radical traps and stabilization of cobalt complexes by the added particles were other factors affecting the activation energy of the systems. The diffusion phenomenon was investigated in all three systems Neat UP, UPGO and UPMGO. The presence of attraction interactions between particles and alkyd resin chains are among the factors affecting the diffusion region of UPGO and UPMGO systems.