Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) (90/10) nanocomposites containing various amounts of graphene nanoplatelets were fabricated by solution method and then the effects of graphene concentration on morphology, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. Characterization by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction of the nanocomposites showed a relatively good dispersion of graphene sheets in the polymer matrix. The results indicated that thermal stability, glass transition temperature, and mechanical properties of PMME/PEO blend improved by increasing graphene concentration. The electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites revealed a significant improvement with increasing the amount of graphene and the percolation threshold was about 3.33 wt% of graphene.
Highly porous bi-component fibers from poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) blends with 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 50/50 PEO/PAN weight ratios were prepared. Electrospinning of the blends produced thin fibers with averaged diameters ranging from 275 to 190 nm. Incorporation of 1 wt% graphene sheets (GS) into the fibrous blends mats effectively increased the tensile modulus and electrical conductivity of the matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed the lowered T m and DH m of the PEO component in the bicomponent fibers, suggesting that the crystallization of PEO was hindered due to the presence of PAN. DSC results indicated a nucleation effect of GS on the crystallization of PEO. High porosity of the produced nanocomposite mats (about 93%) is a promising feature for their application as electrolytes. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECH-NOL., 23:E152-E159,
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