In this study, two different carbon fillers: carbon black (CB) and graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) are studied as conductive fillers for the preparation of conductive polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites. In order to obtain a homogenous dispersion of GNP, GNP/PP composites were prepared by two different methods: solid state mixing (SSM) and traditional melt mixing (MM). The result shows that MM is more efficient in the dispersion of GNP particles compared to SSM method. PP nanocomposites containing only one conductive filler and two fillers were prepared at different filler concentrations. Based on the analysis of electrical and rheological properties of the prepared nanocomposites, it shows that a hybridized composite with equal amounts of GNP and CB has favorable processing properties. Conductive fibers with a core/sheath structure were produced on a bicomponent melt spinning line. The core materials of these fibers are the hybridized GNP/CB/PP nanocomposite and the sheath is pure polyamide. It was found that GNPs were separated during melt and cold drawing which results in the decrease of conductivity. However, the conductivity could partly be restored by the heat treatment.

Abstract. The effect of adding carbon black on the electrical and rheological properties of graphite nanoplatelets/poly(ethylene-butyl acrylate) copolymer composites produced via melt or solution mixing was studied. By adding a small amount of low-or high-structured carbon black to the nanocomposite, the electrical percolation threshold decreased and the final conductivity (at higher filler contents) increased. The effect on the percolation threshold was significantly stronger in case of the high-structured carbon black where replacing 10 wt% of the total filler content with carbon black instead of graphite nanoplatelets reduced the electrical percolation threshold from 6.9 to 4.6 vol%. Finally, the solution mixing process was found to be more efficient leading to a lower percolation threshold. For the composites containing high-structured carbon black, graphite nanoplatelets and their hybrids there was a quite reasonable correlation between the electrical and rheological percolation thresholds.

Manufacturing strategy is of prime importance for the appropriate incorporation of filler into a polymeric matrix, and this in particular refers to nanofillers. Herein, direct-graphite nanoplatelets are used as filler in polystyrene. The as-received filler material contained microscopic size agglomerates formed by nanoscopic size graphite nanoplatelets. Refining of the microagglomerates (break-up) and production of, desirably, single graphene layers (exfoliation) is the ultimate target for controlling production and thus properties of the present materials. Several processing methods including microcompounding, roll-milling/calendering, Brabender mixing chamber, and solvent processing are used and compared with elongational flow mixing by a newly developed mixer. For the present system, sonication with surfactant assistance solvent processing yields both good micro deagglomeration and production of thin graphene nanostacks/layers. Also the elongational flow mixing efficiently refines the microagglomerates. Solvent processing and microcompounding are more efficient than the other processes in the production of exfoliated thin graphene stacks/layers.

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A new concept, Re-Fib, was developed within an EU project, REFORM, to recycle carbon and glass fibres from polymeric composite structures, aiming to reduce energy consumption and degradation of fibre properties during recycling. The optimized thermolysis treatment, 24 h at 380 °C, was verified able to recover clean fibres from most tested composite structures containing different thermoset resins (epoxy, vinyl ester, and polyester) and various core materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), and wood. Single-fibre test was performed in dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The reduction of strength was found around 26% for carbon fibres and 34-40% for glass fibres. Thermally recycled glass fibres were melt-compounded with recycled polypropylene (rPP); the resultant composites showed promising mechanical properties.