Preparation, crystallization and degradation properties of poly(butylene succinate-co-neopentyl glycol succinate) copolymer/graphite oxide composites

Abstract

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by the modified Hummers’ method and poly(butylene succinate-co-neopentylglycol succinate)/graphene oxide (GO–PBNPGS) nanocomposites were synthesized via in situ polymerization with a series of GO contents (from 0.01 to 0.10 mass%). The GO was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum, atomic force microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffractometry. The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and crystalline morphology of the neat PBNPGS and its nanocomposites were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy (POM), respectively. The results showed that GO was prepared successfully and dispersed in PBNPGS uniformly during the experimental process. The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics was characterized using Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny. The experimental results indicated that the non-isothermal crystallization behavior of the GO–PBNPGS was influenced by the GO content and cooling rate, the crystallization rate first increased and then decreased with an increase in GO content. Therefore, it was expected that the GO could accelerate the crystallization process. POM observations indicated that GO served as an effective nucleating agent for the crystallization of GO–PBNPGS when 0.10 mass% GO was added, and 0.05 mass% GO in PBNPGS had the largest spherulites and the lowest nucleation ability. In addition, the experimental data also showed that the biodegradation rate increased with the increasing of GO content, with a significant rate of degradation occurring in the composite sample with 0.10 mass% GO content.