{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T11:36:55Z","timestamp":1787312215021,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]],"date-time":"2025-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758153600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Polymeric nanocomposites have been extensively investigated due to their potential for enhancing the mechanical and tribological properties of polymer composites. In this study, the mechanical performance of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites modified with nano-sized ferrochrome slag particles, an industrial by-product from stainless steel manufacturing, was evaluated. Composite laminates were fabricated using a vacuum-assisted hand lay-up process, with consistent carbon fiber reinforcement and uniformly dispersed nanofillers in the epoxy matrix. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, impact, and Shore D hardness were evaluated as per ASTM and ISO standards. At 2 wt.% nanofiller loading, enhanced tensile strength and hardness by 33.02% and 8.92%, respectively, were achieved, while flexural strength and impact strength increased by 3.70% and 3.62% at 1 wt.% compared to the neat composite. Higher filler contents (&gt;3 wt.%) resulted in reduced performance due to particle agglomeration and microstructural inhomogeneity. A scanning electron microscope was used to determine the uniform dispersion and agglomeration of nanofillers. The results demonstrated the potential of ferrochrome slag as a sustainable and cost-effective nanofiller for advanced composite applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17182527","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]],"date-time":"2025-09-18T14:45:46Z","timestamp":1758206746000},"page":"2527","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Effect of Nano Ferrochrome Slag-Infused Polymer Matrix on Mechanical Properties of Bidirectional Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9946-4347","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sultan Saif","family":"Al mamari","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7748-9743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sabariah","family":"Julai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8096-2709","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohd Faizul Mohd","family":"Sabri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lenin Anselm","family":"Wilson Annamal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Engineering Department, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 77, Shinas PC 324, Oman"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9333-8822","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S. M.","family":"Shahabaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.A. College of Engineering, Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgavi 574153, Karnataka, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105871","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tust.2024.105871","article-title":"Strengthening Effect of the CFRP Method on Fire-Damaged Segments","volume":"154","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Tunn. Undergr. Space Technol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shahabaz, S.M., Shetty, P.K., Shetty, N., Sharma, S., Divakara Shetty, S., and Naik, N. (2022). 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