Effect of the C/O ratio in graphene oxide materials on the reinforcement of epoxy-based nanocomposites |
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Authors: | Cristina Vallés Fabian Beckert Laura Burk Rolf Mülhaupt Robert J Young Ian A Kinloch |
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Institution: | 1. Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, Stefan-Meier-Straße 31, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Freiburg Materials Research Center FMF, Stefan-Meier-Straße 21, Freiburg, Germany;2. School of Materials, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL United Kingdom |
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Abstract: | The effect of the C/O ratio of graphene oxide materials on the reinforcement and rheological percolation of epoxy-based nanocomposites has been studied. As-prepared graphene oxide (GO) and thermally-reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) with higher C/O ratios were incorporated into an epoxy resin matrix at loadings from 0.5 to 5 wt %. Tensile testing revealed good reinforcement of the polymer up to optimal loadings of 1 wt %, whereas agglomeration of the flakes at higher loadings caused the mechanical properties of the composites to deteriorate. The level of reduction (C/O) of the graphene oxide filler was found to influence the mechanical and rheological properties of the epoxy composites. Higher oxygen contents were found to lead to stronger interfaces between graphene and epoxy, giving rise to higher effective Young's moduli of the filler and thus to superior mechanical properties of the composite. The effective modulus of the GO in the nanocomposites was found to be up to 170 GPa. Furthermore, rheological analysis showed that highly oxidized graphene flakes did not raise the viscosity of the epoxy resin significantly, facilitating the processing considerably, of great importance for the development of these functional polymeric materials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 281–291 |
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Keywords: | mechanical properties nanocomposites Raman spectroscopy rheology |
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