Thermoset/graphene polymer composites—A review of processing and properties

Abstract

Polymer‐carbon nanocomposites incorporate the exceptional properties of both the polymer matrices, such as low cost and simple processing, with the distinctive features of the carbon‐based fillers, such as high electrical and thermal conductivities, and excellent mechanical properties. Various fillers like carbon black (CB), graphite, expanded graphite (EG), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being used to produce materials with advanced properties. However, at high filler loading, these filler materials have some major challenges such as filler agglomeration. Recently, graphene has gained increased interest as an alternative filler to produce polymer nanocomposites with advanced characteristics. Thermosetting polymer composites with graphene fillers are being considered for multiple applications and are a subject of interest for researchers because of enhanced properties like excellent corrosion resistance and low density. This review outlines studies to improve the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of thermoset/graphene composites.

Archie E. Hamielec memorial issue

“…The authors of the articles in this issue join us from many countries and institutions across the globe (Figure 1 and Table 1) to thank Archie for his enduring legacy in polymerization reaction engineering, a field of academic and industrial interest that he established practically single‐handedly. [ 1–45 ]…”

Infusion Simulation of Graphene-Enhanced Resin in LCM for Thermal and Chemo-Rheological Analysis

“…This is apart from the inclusion (addition) of nanofillers (e.g., graphene) in thermosets which could serve as a means to improve the cross-linking process (catalyst-like effects during preparation/manufacturing), and to enhance the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the final product. With that being said, the addition could also bring challenges related to morphology (issues relevant to polymer structure at the nano-and macro-scale), and agglomeration (issues relevant to dispersion or nanoparticles size) [8,9]. Such an influence on resin impregnation and polymerisation requires optimised control to acquire industrial processing windows for composites' manufacturing and characterisation.…”

Fabrication and peeling behavior of thermally conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive films with embedded graphite composite patterns

“…To overcome this hurdle, PSAs have been admixed with ceramic fillers [10,11] to produce TC PSA films with thermal conductivity reaching 0.75 Wm -1 K -1 . Compared to ceramic fillers, carbon allotropes feature greater thermal conductivity because of sp 2 -hybridized carbon atoms through which electrons are delocalized [12]; thus, they have great potential for realizing PSAs with greater thermal conductivity. It has been reported that the thermal conductivity of the PSA containing 1 wt% reduced graphene oxide was 1.03 Wm -1 K -1 [9].…”