Graphene oxide crosslinker for the enhancement of mechanical properties of polylactic acid

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer appears to provide environmental advantages over the petroleum-derived polymers but often ends up with limited applications owing to their poor mechanical performance and brittleness. Herein, we present a PLA polymer compatible graphene oxide (GO) based crosslinker with the intention of improving the mechanical properties. Lactic acid (LA) functionalized GO (GO-LA) crosslinker was prepared and had been crosslinked with the PLA chains through a one-step polycondensation reaction. The mechanical properties of the as-synthesized GO crosslinked PLA (GO-C-PLA) were investigated by compression tests and compared with neat PLA, and GO reinforced PLA (GO-PLA) with no crosslinking. With 0.3% of GO-LA crosslinker in GO-C-PLA, the compressive modulus increased by nine times compared to that of the neat PLA. The compressive strength also increased to 46 MPa, which was four times higher than the neat PLA. This strategy for improving the mechanical properties by introducing GO-based crosslinker can be used potentially for many polycondensation polymers and thus be useful for many high-performance applications.

Enhancing Structural and Thermal Properties of Poly(lactic acid) Using Graphene Oxide Filler and Anionic Surfactant Treatment

“…In contrast, the PLLA-GO surface seems to be smoother, and its morphology is close to the neat PLA. As reported in many papers, it was shown that neat PLA presents a smooth surface compared to filled ones [ 42 , 43 ]. From this result, it is clear that treated GO provides a rough surface to the nanocomposite, which is a characteristic that holds promise for favorable biomedical applications [ 44 ].…”

Graphene Oxide and Biomolecules for the Production of Functional 3D Graphene-Based Materials

“…These can be fabricated by mixing GO with natural or synthetic biopolymers, as well as a combination of both to provide specific properties to the final material ( Ege et al, 2017 ; Sayyar et al, 2017 ; Aidun et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ). Although biopolymers are structurally simple molecules, they can covalently bind graphene and other derivatives via cross-linking agents or other physical methods (e.g., high pressure and temperature) ( Sujan et al, 2021 ). Alternatively, GO can interact with biopolymers via weak intermolecular interaction in aqueous buffers.…”

Graphene oxide based crosslinker for simultaneous enhancement of mechanical toughness and self-healing capability of conventional hydrogels

“…The GO is one of the promising crosslinking materials to enhance the functionality of nanocomposite hydrogels. 33 Recently, a facile route to prepare a novel functionalized graphene oxide-based crosslinker (GOBC) has been reported in one of the research works. 34 This special crosslinker contains anchored acrylate groups in addition to surface functional species.…”