Abstract
The influence of the morphology of industrial graphite nanoplate (GNP) materials on their dispersion in polycarbonate (PC) is studied. Three GNP morphology types were identified, namely lamellar, fragmented or compact structure. The dispersion evolution of all GNP types in PC is similar with varying melt temperature, screw speed, or mixing time during melt mixing. Increased shear stress reduces the size of GNP primary structures, whereby the GNP aspect ratio decreases. A significant GNP exfoliation to individual or few graphene layers could not be achieved under the selected melt mixing conditions. The resulting GNP macrodispersion depends on the individual GNP morphology, particle sizes and bulk density and is clearly reflected in the composite’s electrical, thermal, mechanical, and gas barrier properties. Based on a comparison with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon black (CB), CNT are recommended in regard to electrical conductivity, whereas, for thermal conductive or gas barrier application, GNP is preferred.
Highlights
Graphite [1] is a widely investigated filler which can improve several polymer composite properties
Based on a comparison with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon black (CB), CNT are recommended in regard to electrical conductivity, whereas, for thermal conductive or gas barrier application, graphite nanoplate (GNP) is preferred
GNPs can be made by bottom-up approaches such as epitaxial growth via chemical vapor deposition [4,5,6,7] or by the synthesis of graphene based on polycyclic hydrocarbons [8]
Summary
Graphite [1] is a widely investigated filler which can improve several polymer composite properties (e.g., electrical or thermal conductivity). With micrometer sized stack thicknesses, it has a low aspect ratio, meaning that relatively high contents are needed to obtain enhancement in the electrical and thermal conductivities of polymers. At such filling levels, these property improvements are seriously counteracted by decreased mechanical properties of the final composites, especially deformability and toughness. GNPs can be made by bottom-up approaches such as epitaxial growth via chemical vapor deposition [4,5,6,7] or by the synthesis of graphene based on polycyclic hydrocarbons [8].
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