Abstract
Abstract Polyethylene oxide (PEO) was introduced to improve the dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in poly (lactic acid) (PLA) matrix. GNPs were dispersed into PEO aqueous solution and freeze-dried to form PEO/GNPs masterbatch, followed by melt-mixed with PLA to prepare the nanocomposites. Three grades of PEO with different molecular weights were evaluated. It is found that adding very low loading of PEO (1 wt%) enhances the dispersion of GNPs in PLA matrix, resulting in remarkable improvement in elongation at break of PLA/GNPs without obviously sacrificing its modulus and tensile strength. Meanwhile, PEO reveals a synergistic effect with GNPs in promoting PLA crystallization. Moreover, GNPs enhances significantly the thermal stability of PLA, while further addition of PEO does not apparent compromise this effect. In addition, PEO with low molecular weight presents the best effect in improving the properties of PLA/GNPs nanocomposites.
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