Graphene/polyethylene nanocomposites: Effect of polyethylene functionalization and blending methods

Hyunwoo Kim; Shingo Kobayashi; Mohd A. Abdurrahim; Minglun J. Zhang; Albina Khusainova; Marc A. Hillmyer; Ahmed A. Abdala; Christopher W. MacOsko

doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2011.02.017

Graphene/polyethylene nanocomposites: Effect of polyethylene functionalization and blending methods

Hyunwoo Kim, Shingo Kobayashi, Mohd A. Abdurrahim, Minglun J. Zhang, Albina Khusainova, Marc A. Hillmyer, Ahmed A. Abdala, Christopher W. MacOsko

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

385 Scopus citations

Abstract

Since its recent successful isolation, graphene has attracted an enormous amount of scientific interest due to its exceptional physical properties. Graphene incorporation can improve electrical and mechanical properties of polymers including polyethylene (PE). However, the hydrophobic nature and low polarity of PE have made effective dispersion of nano-fillers difficult without compatibilization. Graphene was derived from graphite oxide (GO) via rapid thermal exfoliation and reduction. This thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) was blended via melt and solvent blending with linear low density PE (LLDPE) and its functionalized analogs (amine, nitrile and isocyanate) produced using a ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) strategy. TRG was well exfoliated in functionalized LLDPE while phase separated morphology was observed in the un-modified LLDPE. Transmission electron micrographs showed that solvent based blending more effectively dispersed these exfoliated carbon sheets than did melt compounding. Tensile modulus was higher for composites with functionalized polyethylenes when solvent blending was used. However, at less than 3 wt.% of TRG, electrical conductivity of the un-modified LLDPE was higher than that of the functionalized ones. This may be due to phase segregation between graphene and PE, and electrical percolation within the continuous filler-rich phase.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1837-1846
Number of pages	10
Journal	Polymer
Volume	52
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2011.02.017
State	Published - Apr 5 2011

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Financial support from the Abu Dhabi-Minnesota Institute for Research Excellence (ADMIRE) is acknowledged. The authors also appreciate Dr. Craig Silvis at Dow Chemical Co. for providing Affinity EG-8200 and MA grafted EG-8200, and Adam D. Reimnitz and Darius B. Jaya for their help on melt processing and property measurements. SK thanks Abdul Aziz Al Hajeri for his help in functionalized PE syntheses. Parts of this work were performed in the College of Science and Engineering Characterization Facility and the Polymer Characterization Facility at the University of Minnesota, which receive partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program.

Keywords

Graphene
Polyethylene
Polymer nanocomposites

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10.1016/j.polymer.2011.02.017

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title = "Graphene/polyethylene nanocomposites: Effect of polyethylene functionalization and blending methods",

abstract = "Since its recent successful isolation, graphene has attracted an enormous amount of scientific interest due to its exceptional physical properties. Graphene incorporation can improve electrical and mechanical properties of polymers including polyethylene (PE). However, the hydrophobic nature and low polarity of PE have made effective dispersion of nano-fillers difficult without compatibilization. Graphene was derived from graphite oxide (GO) via rapid thermal exfoliation and reduction. This thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) was blended via melt and solvent blending with linear low density PE (LLDPE) and its functionalized analogs (amine, nitrile and isocyanate) produced using a ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) strategy. TRG was well exfoliated in functionalized LLDPE while phase separated morphology was observed in the un-modified LLDPE. Transmission electron micrographs showed that solvent based blending more effectively dispersed these exfoliated carbon sheets than did melt compounding. Tensile modulus was higher for composites with functionalized polyethylenes when solvent blending was used. However, at less than 3 wt.% of TRG, electrical conductivity of the un-modified LLDPE was higher than that of the functionalized ones. This may be due to phase segregation between graphene and PE, and electrical percolation within the continuous filler-rich phase.",

keywords = "Graphene, Polyethylene, Polymer nanocomposites",

author = "Hyunwoo Kim and Shingo Kobayashi and Abdurrahim, {Mohd A.} and Zhang, {Minglun J.} and Albina Khusainova and Hillmyer, {Marc A.} and Abdala, {Ahmed A.} and MacOsko, {Christopher W.}",

note = "Funding Information: Financial support from the Abu Dhabi-Minnesota Institute for Research Excellence (ADMIRE) is acknowledged. The authors also appreciate Dr. Craig Silvis at Dow Chemical Co. for providing Affinity EG-8200 and MA grafted EG-8200, and Adam D. Reimnitz and Darius B. Jaya for their help on melt processing and property measurements. SK thanks Abdul Aziz Al Hajeri for his help in functionalized PE syntheses. Parts of this work were performed in the College of Science and Engineering Characterization Facility and the Polymer Characterization Facility at the University of Minnesota, which receive partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program. ",

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AU - Zhang, Minglun J.

AU - Khusainova, Albina

AU - Hillmyer, Marc A.

AU - Abdala, Ahmed A.

AU - MacOsko, Christopher W.

N1 - Funding Information: Financial support from the Abu Dhabi-Minnesota Institute for Research Excellence (ADMIRE) is acknowledged. The authors also appreciate Dr. Craig Silvis at Dow Chemical Co. for providing Affinity EG-8200 and MA grafted EG-8200, and Adam D. Reimnitz and Darius B. Jaya for their help on melt processing and property measurements. SK thanks Abdul Aziz Al Hajeri for his help in functionalized PE syntheses. Parts of this work were performed in the College of Science and Engineering Characterization Facility and the Polymer Characterization Facility at the University of Minnesota, which receive partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program.

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N2 - Since its recent successful isolation, graphene has attracted an enormous amount of scientific interest due to its exceptional physical properties. Graphene incorporation can improve electrical and mechanical properties of polymers including polyethylene (PE). However, the hydrophobic nature and low polarity of PE have made effective dispersion of nano-fillers difficult without compatibilization. Graphene was derived from graphite oxide (GO) via rapid thermal exfoliation and reduction. This thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) was blended via melt and solvent blending with linear low density PE (LLDPE) and its functionalized analogs (amine, nitrile and isocyanate) produced using a ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) strategy. TRG was well exfoliated in functionalized LLDPE while phase separated morphology was observed in the un-modified LLDPE. Transmission electron micrographs showed that solvent based blending more effectively dispersed these exfoliated carbon sheets than did melt compounding. Tensile modulus was higher for composites with functionalized polyethylenes when solvent blending was used. However, at less than 3 wt.% of TRG, electrical conductivity of the un-modified LLDPE was higher than that of the functionalized ones. This may be due to phase segregation between graphene and PE, and electrical percolation within the continuous filler-rich phase.

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Graphene/polyethylene nanocomposites: Effect of polyethylene functionalization and blending methods

Abstract

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