Graphene Modified Lipophilically by Stearic Acid and its Composite With Low Density Polyethylene |
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| Authors: | Su Jin Han Hyung-Il Lee Byung Kyu Kim Anjanapura V. Raghu Kakarla Raghava Reddy |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemistry, Energy Harvest-Storage Research Center, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Korea;2. Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea;3. Centre for Emerging Technologies, Jain Global Campus, Jakkasandra, India;4. School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Graphene, prepared by the thermal reduction of graphite oxide (GO), was modified with stearic acid to enhance its lipophilicity. A novel method, using the intrinsic epoxy groups on the graphene, was utilized for reaction with stearic acid to minimize the negative impact of the normal functionalization method on the π-electronic system of graphene. Gravimetric analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the stearic acid was effectively attached to the graphene. In addition, Raman spectroscopy and electric conductivity of the graphene showed that this novel modification method, utilizing intrinsic defects, did not damage the π-electronic system of the sp2 bonded carbons. The dispersion of graphene in a low density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix was enhanced; consequently, the reinforcing effect in tensile testing was improved by the lipophilic modification. The crystallization behavior observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the crystallization of LDPE was hindered by dispersed graphene, more evidently when dispersed uniformly. |
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| Keywords: | composite graphene polyethylene stearic acid |
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