Preparation and characterization of graphene enriched poly(vinyl chloride) composites and fibers

Abstract

In this paper, poly(vinyl chloride)/graphene (PVC/G) composite fibers are extruded through a set of wet spinning unit for the purpose of properties improvement, including mechanical strength, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity. PVC/G composite membranes are also prepared using a spin-coating method for the analysis on the distribution of graphene in PVC composite. The PVC/G composite fibers are systematically characterized by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and X-ray Diffraction. The mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of the prepared PVC/G composite fibers are also analyzed. The experimental results show that the graphene sheets at a low concentration of 1–5 wt% can be distributed homogeneously in the PVC matrix; the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity of PVC can be enhanced significantly by the blending of graphene sheets.