Polystyrene–fluorohectorite nanocomposites prepared by melt mixing with and without latex precompounding: Structure and mechanical properties

Graphene oxide-reinforced poly (ether-ether-ketone)/silica composites with improved mechanical performance and surface bioactivity

The control of interfacial interaction between polymers and fillers is essential for the fabrication of high-performance polymer composites. In this work, poly(ether-ether-ketone)/silica (PEEK/SiO₂) and PEEK/SiO₂/graphene oxide (GO) composite were prepared by ball milling-ultrasonic dispersion combined with melt extrusion injection molding. GO nanosheets were introduced as the interfacial enhancer to improve interfacial binding between SiO₂ and PEEK. Mechanical tests showed that the incorporation of SiO₂ and GO greatly optimized the modulus, strength, and fracture toughness of the composites. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of the PEEK/SiO₂ composites increases with the increase of SiO₂ content. The maximum tensile strength and Young's modulus of the PEEK/SiO₂ composites are approximate 95.9 ± 0.6 MPa and 4.007 ± 0.005 GPa at 30 wt% of SiO₂, an increase of 6.4% and 21.2% than that of pure PEEK. The maximum tensile strength and Young's modulus of the PEEK/SiO₂/GO composite are further improved to approximate 101.5 ± 0.7 MPa and 4.62 ± 0.08 GPa at a GO content of 1.5% wt, which is 12.6% and 39.4% higher than that of pure PEEK. In addition, SEM images show that numerous HA formed on the surface of the PEEK/SiO₂/GO composite after immersion in SBF for 7 days, and the HA layer becomes gradually thicker after 14 days, implying the good osteogenic activity of PEEK/SiO₂/GO composites. Therefore, these results suggest that the use of GO as a novel filler surface modifier for the preparation of high-performance composites may become a novel interfacial design strategy for the development of high-performance composites.

Water-Assisted Production of Thermoplastic Nanocomposites: A Review

Water-assisted, or more generally liquid-mediated, melt compounding of nanocomposites is basically a combination of solution-assisted and traditional melt mixing methods. It is an emerging technique to overcome several disadvantages of the above two. Water or aqueous liquids with additives, do not work merely as temporary carrier materials of suitable nanofillers. During batchwise and continuous compounding, these liquids are fully or partly evaporated. In the latter case, the residual liquid is working as a plasticizer. This processing technique contributes to a better dispersion of the nanofillers and affects markedly the morphology and properties of the resulting nanocomposites. A survey is given below on the present praxis and possible future developments of water-assisted melt mixing techniques for the production of thermoplastic nanocomposites.