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. 2018 Nov 20;10(11):1288.
doi: 10.3390/polym10111288.

High-Performance Biobased Unsaturated Polyester Nanocomposites with Very Low Loadings of Graphene

Chengguo Liu  1 , Cuina Wang  2 , Jijun Tang  3 , Jing Zhang  4 , Qianqian Shang  5 , Yun Hu  6 , Hongxiao Wang  7 , Qiong Wu  8 , Yonghong Zhou  9 , Wen Lei  10 , Zengshe Liu  11
Affiliations

High-Performance Biobased Unsaturated Polyester Nanocomposites with Very Low Loadings of Graphene

Chengguo Liu et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Graphene-reinforced tung oil (TO)-based unsaturated polyester nanocomposites were prepared via in situ melt polycondensation intergrated with Diels⁻Alder addition. Functionalized graphene sheets derived from graphene oxide (GO) were then extracted from the obtained nanocomposites and carefully characterized. Furthermore, dispersion state of the graphene nanosheets in the cured polymer composites and ultimate properties of the resultant biobased nanocomposites were investigated. Mechanical and thermal properties of the TO-based unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) were greatly improved by the incorporation of GO. For example, at the optimal GO content (only 0.10 wt %), the obtained biobased nanocomposite showed tensile strength and modulus of 43.2 MPa and 2.62 GPa, and Tg of 105.2 °C, which were 159%, 191%, and 49.4% higher than those of the unreinforced UPR/TO resin, respectively. Compared to neat UPR, the biobased UPR nanocomposite with 0.1 wt % of GO even demonstrated superior comprehensive properties (comparable stiffness and Tg, while better toughness and thermal stability). Therefore, the developed biobased UPR nanocomposites are very promising to be applied in structural plastics.

Keywords: biobased polymer nanocomposites; graphene; in situ melt polycondensation; tung oil; unsaturated polyester resins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) The prepatration of graphene-reinforeced biobased unsaturated polyester nanocomposites via a combination of in situ melt polycondensation and Diels–Alder addition; (b) possible chemical changes of graphene oxide (GO) during the in situ preparation of biobased nanocomposites.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Sedimentation experiment; (b,c) atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of GO and FGS; (d) FT-IR spectra of GO, thermally reduced GO (RGO), and FGS; (e) TGA curves of GO, RGO, FGS-i, and FGS.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The C 1s peaks in XPS spectra of (a) GO, (b) RGO, (c) FGS-i, and (d) FGS.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Raman spectra of GO, RGO, and FGS.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM images of the etched UPR/TO/GO composites with GO contents of (a) 0.10% and (b) 0.30%; TEM images of the UPR/TO/GO composites with GO contents of (c) 0.10% and (d) 0.30%.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Stress–strain curves of neat UPR, UPR/TO, and UPR/TO/G0.10; (b) tensile and flexural strengths, (c) tensile and flexural moduli, and (d) impact strength and tensile breaking strain of UPR, UPR/TO, and UPR/TO/GO composites.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) Storage modulus and (b) Loss factor of neat UPR, UPR/TO, and UPR/TO/GO composites.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) TGA curves and (b) their derivatives of neat UPR, UPR/TO, and UPR/TO/GO composites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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