Zhao L, Yin Y, Xiao W, Li H, Feng H, Wang D, Qu C. Rapid Crystallization and Fluorescence of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Using Graphene Quantum Dots as Nucleating Agents.
Polymers (Basel) 2023;
15:3506. [PMID:
37688132 PMCID:
PMC10490498 DOI:
10.3390/polym15173506]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with a diameter of ~3 nm were successfully synthesized and incorporated into a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) matrix to fabricate PET/GQDs nanocomposites. The impact of GQDs on the crystallization and thermal stability of the PET/GQDs nanocomposites was investigated. It was observed that the addition of only 0.5 wt% GQDs into the nanocomposites resulted in a significant increase in the crystallization temperature (peak temperature) of PET, from 194.3 °C to 206.0 °C during the cooling scan process. This suggested that an optimal concentration of GQDs could function as a nucleating agent and effectively enhance the crystallization temperature of PET. The isothermal crystallization method was employed to analyze the crystallization kinetics of the PET/GQDs nanocomposites, and the data showed that 0.5 wt% GQDs significantly accelerated the crystallization rate. Furthermore, the incorporation of GQDs into the PET matrix imparted photoluminescent properties to the resulting PET/GQDs nanocomposites. The PET crystals with GQDs as crystal nuclei and the crazes caused by defects played a vital role in isolating and suppressing the concentration quenching of GQDs. This effect facilitated the detection of defects in PET.
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