Issue 41, 2011
From the journal:

Journal of Materials Chemistry

In situ production of high filler content graphene-based polymer nanocomposites by reactive processing

Valeria Alzari,a   Daniele Nuvoli,a   Roberta Sanna,a   Sergio Scognamillo,a   Massimo Piccinini,b   Josè Maria Kenny,c   Giulio Malucelli*d  and  Alberto Mariani*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Sassari, and local INSTM unit, Via Vienna 2, Sassari, Italy
E-mail: mariani@uniss.it

b Porto Conte Ricerche S.r.l., SP 55 km 8.400 Loc. Tramariglio, Alghero (SS), Italy

c ICTP-CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, Madrid, Spain

d Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali ed Ingegneria Chimica, Politecnico di Torino, sede di Alessandria, and local INSTM unit, Via T. Michel 5, Alessandria, Italy
E-mail: giulio.malucelli@polito.it

Abstract

This work deals with the preparation of graphene dispersed in a monomer (tetraethylene glycol diacrylate) and the subsequent polymerization of the latter to the corresponding polymer nanocomposite, which is the first obtained so far by direct polymerization of the graphene-dispersing medium. The method used for its obtainment allows reaching the highest concentration of graphene reported until now in any medium (9.45 mg mL−1); besides, a certain amount of graphene nanoribbons is also well visible. Furthermore, this goal is achieved by directly sonicating graphite without any chemical manipulation, which generally results in a final material still containing a significant number of defects. Because of its obtainment in the monomer itself, no filtration of graphene is needed, thus avoiding the reaggregation process to graphite, which partially compromises any previous exfoliation process. The obtained graphene-based polymer nanocomposites, fully characterized by Raman and transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and dynamic–mechanical thermal analysis, exhibit a very homogeneous distribution of the graphene sheets within the polymer matrix. In addition, the interactions between the polymer and nanofiller are very strong, as evidenced by a significant increase in the Tg values even in the presence of a very low graphene content, together with a strong increase in the mechanical features (flexural and storage moduli). Finally, the thermo-oxidative stability of the polymer matrix is not affected by the presence of graphene nanosheets.

Graphical abstract: In situ production of high filler content graphene-based polymer nanocomposites by reactive processing

About
Cited by
Related
Download options Please wait...

Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C1JM12104A
Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 May 2011
Accepted
22 Aug 2011
First published
19 Sep 2011

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 16544-16549

Permissions

Request permissions

In situ production of high filler content graphene-based polymer nanocomposites by reactive processing

V. Alzari, D. Nuvoli, R. Sanna, S. Scognamillo, M. Piccinini, J. M. Kenny, G. Malucelli and A. Mariani, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 16544 DOI: 10.1039/C1JM12104A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements