Preparation and characterization of graphene/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites

Abstract

Graphene (GE)-based nanocomposites are emerging as a new class of materials that hold promise for many applications. In this article, we present a general approach for the preparation of GE/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites. The basic strategy involved the preparation of graphite oxide from graphite, complete exfoliation of graphite oxide into graphene oxide sheets, followed by reduction to GE nanosheets, and finally, the preparation of the GE/PVA nanocomposites by a simple solution-mixing method. The synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis.The GE nanosheets were well dispersed in the PVA matrix, and the restacking of the GE sheets was effectively prevented. Because of the strong interfacial interaction between PVA and GE, which mainly resulted from the hydrogenbond interaction, together with the improvement in the PVA crystallinity, the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the nanocomposites were obviously improved. The tensile strength was increased from 23 MPa for PVA to 49.5 MPa for the nanocomposite with a 3.25 wt % GE loading.

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide nanocomposites prepared by a simple eco-process

“…54 These results indicate that the molecular motion of the polymer chains was restricted in the amorphous phase of PVA by the interactions between the GO nanosheets and/or PVA and GO, causing sufficient reinforcement effects. 32,[55][56][57][58][59] Furthermore, the dynamic mechanical analysis results revealed that the high E 0 value was maintained even under a high RH in the range of 15-90% at 60 1C (Figure 4b). The arrow indicates the maximum QUOTE , which shifted to a high temperature with GO loading.…”

Improving the mechanical properties of graphene oxide based materials by covalent attachment of polymer chains

“…This immediately suggests that graphene sheets would be an ideal reinforcing agent for polymer composites as the reinforcement potential scales linearly with filler stiffness and strength [4]. In fact much work has already been done [5][6][7] showing that graphene and graphene oxide (GO) [8,9] are potentially effective reinforcements [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. However, it has also been shown that the fracture of polymer-graphene composites is associated with failure of the polymer graphene interface [19].…”

High strength composite fibres from polyester filled with nanotubes and graphene

“…49 While a number of papers have reported bulk composites based on chemically modified graphene as a filler, [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] in general the level of reinforcement achieved has been significantly below that predicted by the rule of mixtures.…”