Morphology, crystallization and mechanical properties of poly(?-caprolactone)/graphene oxide nanocomposites

A series of nanocomposites based on poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared by in situ polymerization. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed not only a well dispersion of GO but also a strong interfacial interaction between GO and the PCL matrix, as evidenced by the presence of some GO nanosheets embedded in the matrix. Effects of GO nanofillers on the crystal structure, crystallization behavior and spherulitic morphology of the PCL matrix were investigated in detail. The results showed that the crystallization temperature of PCL enhanced significantly due to the presence of GO in the nanocomposites, however, the addition of GO did not affect the crystal structure greatly. Thermal stability of PCL remarkably increased with the addition of GO nanosheets, compared with that of pure PCL. Incorporation of GO greatly improved the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of PCL without a significant loss of the elongation at break.