Synthesis, characterization of layered double hydroxide-poly(methylmethacrylate) graft copolymers via activators regenerated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization and its effect on the performance of poly(lactic acid)

A facile strategy for constructing lightweight, fire safety and compression resistance poly(vinylalcohol) aerogels with highly-efficient expansible graphene oxide/layered double hydroxides hybrid synergistic flame retardant

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aerogels with excellent environmentally friendly properties have been considered to replace undegradable polymer foams. However, due to highly flammable, hydrophilic, and worse compression resistance performance, PVA aerogels have always been excluded from practical. Herein, a fire safety and compression resistance PVA/expansible graphene oxide (EGO)/Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) (PGL) aerogel was prepared via the freeze-drying method and electrostatic adsorption of flame retardant. The ice crystals from aerogels were sublimated and left a mass of tree-like pore tunnel structures. Meantime, the compound of EGO and LDHs rendered PGL aerogels high compressive strength of 6.0917 MPa (at 80% of strains), a high specific modulus of 19.16 m2/s2, and an ultra-low density of 0.059 g/cm3. Especially, the as-prepared PGL aerogels showed heat release reduced by 55.4%, smoke release reduced by 54.3%, and the limiting oxygen index reaching up to 31%. Moreover, LDHs also enhanced the interface with PVA/EGO resulting in hydrophobic performance improvement. The proposed enhancements mechanism suggested that (i) chemical reactions between EGO and PVA matrix; (ii) a mass of negative potential sites from the interface of PVA/EGO composites made LDHs sheets easily adsorbing; (iii) oxygen-containing groups from EGO and LDHs absorbed mass of heat during combustion; (iv) the compact char residues on the surface of aerogels acting as barriers suppressed smoke and prevented PVA matrix from further combustion. Therefore, electrostatic adsorption as a facile production process was paved for meeting the compression resistance, flame-retardant, heat-insulating, and smoke-suppressed requirements of PVA aerogels in this work.

Phase Structure and Properties of Ternary Polylactide/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Polysilsesquioxane Blends

Ternary blends of polylactide (PLA, 90 wt.%) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, 10 wt.%) with functionalized polysilsesquioxanes (LPSQ-R) were obtained by solution blending. R groups in LPSQ containing hydroxyethyl (LPSQ-OH), methylglycolic (LPSQ-COOMe) and pentafluorophenyl (LPSQ-F5) moieties of different chemical properties were designed to modify PLA blends with PMMA. The effect of the type of LPSQ-R and their content, 1-3 wt.%, on the structure of the blends was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and Raman spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile tests also showed various effects of LPSQ-R on the thermal and mechanical properties of the blends. Depth-sensing indentation was used to resolve spatially the micro- and nano-scale mechanical properties (hardness and elastic behaviour) of the blends. The results showed clearly that LPSQ-R modulate the structure and properties of the blends.

Synthesis of Graphene Oxide-Polystyrene Graft Polymer Based on Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer and Its Effect on Properties, Crystallization, and Rheological Behavior of Poly (Lactic Acid)

Graphene oxide-polystyrene graft polymer (SGO-PS) was prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization method. Orthogonal experiments indicated that the optimum synthesis reaction conditions for SGO-PS were as follows: the millimole ratio of chain transfer agent to initiator was 0.15 : 0.3, and the amount of styrene was 8 mL at 80°C for 12 hours. The products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal weightlessness analysis, and the highest grafting rate of SGO-PS was 62.46%. Then, PLA/SGO-PS nanocomposites were prepared using SGO-PS as fillers by melt intercalation method, and its crystallinity, mechanical properties, and thermal stability were significantly improved. Compared with pure PLA, the crystallinity of PLA/SGO-PS (0.3 wt%) nanocomposites was increased by 5 times. Multiple melting behavior tests showed that the introduction of SGO-PS caused the PLA molecular chain to be discharged into the unit cell in time, and the melting temperature shifted to a higher temperature, which ultimately made the grain structure of PLA composites more complete and stable than pure PLA. The rheological performance test showed that the uniform dispersion of SGO-PS in the PLA matrix inhibited the free movement of the PLA molecular chain and caused higher flow resistance, resulting in an increase in the complex viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus of PLA/SGO-PS.