A novel water-based mechanochemical approach for surface modification of graphene platelets and their epoxy nanocomposites
Date
2025
Authors
Nguyen, H.H.
Tran, L.C.
La, L.B.T.
Su, X.
Meng, Q.
Kuan, H.C.
Ma, J.
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Journal article
Citation
Polymer Composites, 2025; 46(1):735-748
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Abstract
Graphene (nano) platelets (GPs) are cost-effective and possess high structural integrity, but their limited surface functional groups hinder their compatibility with polymers. In this study, an eco-friendly, water-based mechanochemical approach was developed to modify GPs with polyacrylamide (PAM), creating PAM graphene platelets (PAM-GPs) with a grafting ratio of approximately 15%. The platelet was measured to be a few nanometers in thickness, and the grafted PAM provides abundant functional groups, including amide groups, which enhance compatibility with polymers. A typical polymer, bisphenol-A epoxy, was compounded with PAM-GPs, resulting in a high degree of exfoliation and dispersion of PAM-GPs within the matrix. The resulting epoxy/PAM-GP composites exhibited significantly improved mechanical properties, including an 18% increase in Young's modulus and a substantial enhancement in fracture toughness, with a 71% increase at a low filler fraction of 0.5 wt%. These improvements are attributed to the effective interfacial interaction between the PAM-GPs and the epoxy matrix, facilitated by the grafted functional groups. This study highlights the potential of PAM-GPs as toughening fillers for epoxy composites, emphasizing their applicability in enhancing the durability and performance of structural components in industrial applications.
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Data source: Supporting information, https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.29020
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Copyright 2024 The Author(s). Polymer Composites published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Plastics Engineers. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)