Chelated titanate modified multilayer graphene-butylpyridine latex/polyethylene terephthalate composites with enhanced thermal conductivity

Abstract

The low thermal conductivity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric, which affects the thermal conducting between different layers in composites, is often the weakness in the application of thick butadiene-vinylpyridine latex (BVL)/PET composite, slowing down the composites' processing efficiency and dissipation of frictional heat during operation. In this study, chelated titanate modified multilayer graphene (CTMMG) was used to functionalize butadiene-vinylpyridine latex (CTMMG-BVL), which was further applied for preparing composite to improve the thermal conductivity of PET-reinforced composite (CTMMG-BVL/PET). The static and dynamic stabilities of the CTMMG dispersion as well as thermal conductivity and electrostatic properties of the CTMMG-BVL film and CTMMG-BVL/PET composite were investigated. It was found that both static and dynamic stabilities of the CTMMG dispersion within 24 h were superior to unmodified multilayer graphene (MG) as the MG content and mass ratio of titanate to MG were 10 mg/mL and 25 %, respectively. Compared to the BVL film, the thermal conductivity and tensile strength of CTMMG-BVL film (CTMMG content: 2.19 wt%) were increased by 28.8 % and 4.5 %, respectively. The thermal conductivity of the CTMMG-BVL/PET composite was further enhanced by 48.3 % (from 2.65 to 3.93 W/(m·K)) compared to that of BVL/PET. The electrostatic property of the CTMMG-BVL film and CTMMG-BVL/PET composite was significantly improved. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that the mechanism for the excellent static and dynamic stability of waterborne CTMMG dispersions was attributed to the synergistic effects of the hydrogen bond and chemical bond formed between titanate and MG. The prepared CTMMG-BVL/PET composite with excellent thermal conductivity and heat dissipation showed potential application in many fields such as aviation, transportation, and seals.