Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate-Modified Ti₃C₂T_x/Graphene Nanohybrids as Three-Dimensional Functional Chain Extenders for Polyurethane Composite Films with Strain-Sensing and Conductive Properties

Abstract

Incorporation of functional nanofillers can unlock the potential of polymers as advanced materials. Herein, singlelayered and three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/ Ti 3 C 2 T x (B-rGO@Ti 3 C 2 T x ) nanohybrids were constructed using bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) as a coupling agent between rGO and Ti 3 C 2 T x through covalent and hydrogen bonds. It is found that BHET can not only resist the weak oxidization of Ti 3 C 2 T x to some degree but also prevent the self-stacking of Ti 3 C 2 T x and rGO sheets. Then, B-rGO@Ti 3 C 2 T x was used as a functional nanofiller and three-dimensional chain extender for preparing the waterborne polyurethane (WPU) nanocomposite through in situ polymerization. Compared with WPU nanocomposites with an equivalent amount of Ti 3 C 2 T x /rGO@Ti 3 C 2 T x , although containing an equivalent amount of BHET, WPU/B-rGO@Ti 3 C 2 T x nanocomposites show significantly improved performance. For example, 5.66 wt % of B-rGO@Ti 3 C 2 T x endows WPU with a high tensile strength of 36.0 MPa (improved by 380%), thermal conductivity of 0.697 W•m −1 •K −1 , electrical conductivity of 1.69 × 10 −2 S/m (enhanced by 39 times), good strainsensing behavior, electromagnetic interference (EMI)-shielding performance of 49.5 dB in the X-band, and excellent thermal stability. Therefore, the construction of rGO@Ti 3 C 2 T x nanohybrids with the aid of chain extenders may unlock new possibilities of polyurethane as smart materials.

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Envisioning a BHET Economy: Adding Value to PET Waste

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