Abstract
Abstract The research on facile, low-cost, and green process for the uniform dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) into polymer matrix has always been a considerable challenge in practical applications. The Van der Waals interaction between graphene layers can easily cause aggregation of the nanofillers. Here, we propose a new method to solve this problem by involving solid-state shear mixing to obtain a well-dispersed nanocomposite. The comprehensive properties of nanocomposite, including antistatic properties, mechanical properties, and thermal stability, can be significantly enhanced by this method. The surface resistivity of the nanocomposite can be up to 2.4 × 107 Ω sq−1 under 1 wt% content of GNPs, which is significantly better than the value obtained by conventional melting compounding and meets the required standard of less than 3 × 108 Ω sq−1 for actual application antistatic materials. The impact strength of the nanocomposite increased by 120.8% when compared with neat PP. At the same time, the heat distortion temperature and initial decomposition temperature of the nanocomposite with only 0.5 wt% content of GNPs are improved by 11.7°C and 110°C, respectively. In addition, GNPs is a heterogeneous nucleating agent that leads PP to emerge β crystal form. This study provides an effective and practical reference for the broad-scale industrial preparation of polymer-based graphene nanocomposites.
Highlights
Graphene is a two-dimensional material with single-atom thickness connected by sp2-hybridized carbon atoms [1,2]
Oxygen is evenly distributed on the entire sample surface, because the oxygen only comes from GNPs nanocomposites with high conductivity nanoplatelets (GNPs), which indicates that GNP is dispersed in the composite
The characterization results showed that GNP was uniform dispersed in the PP/GNP nanocomposites
Summary
Graphene is a two-dimensional material with single-atom thickness connected by sp2-hybridized carbon atoms [1,2]. Avoiding GNP agglomeration, dispersing it in the polymer matrix effectively, and reducing the use of organic solvents remain a major challenge in achieving green industrial preparation. To promote the dispersion of GNPs in PP matrix, adding compatibilizer or functional modification of graphene in the preparation process are two commonly used methods. Surface functionalization of graphene or its derivatives is an alternative method to improve its dispersion in the matrix. It is reported that the mechanical shearing force provided by solid-state shear pulverization (SSSP) can overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve uniform dispersion of nano-fillers such as lignocellulose nanofibers [27] and carbon nanotubes [28] in the PP matrix. A simple and environmental-friendly strategy of solid-state shear mixing was adopted to prepare PP/GNP nanocomposites with uniform dispersion. This research will provide an effective and convenient way for large-scale industrial polymer-based graphene nanocomposites production
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