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Boaretto J, Cruz RCD, Vannucchi de Camargo F, Cordeiro GL, Fragassa C, Bergmann CP. Using Thermomechanical Properties to Reassess Particles' Dispersion in Nanostructured Polymers: Size vs. Content. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:3707. [PMID: 37765561 PMCID: PMC10537304 DOI: 10.3390/polym15183707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanoparticle-filled polymers (i.e., nanocomposites) can exhibit characteristics unattainable by the unfilled polymer, making them attractive to engineer structural composites. However, the transition of particulate fillers from the micron to the nanoscale requires a comprehensive understanding of how particle downsizing influences molecular interactions and organization across multiple length scales, ranging from chemical bonding to microstructural evolution. This work outlines the advancements described in the literature that have become relevant and have shaped today's understanding of the processing-structure-property relationships in polymer nanocomposites. The main inorganic and organic particles that have been incorporated into polymers are examined first. The commonly practiced methods for nanoparticle incorporation are then highlighted. The development in mechanical properties-such as tensile strength, storage modulus and glass transition temperature-in the selected epoxy matrix nanocomposites described in the literature was specifically reviewed and discussed. The significant effect of particle content, dispersion, size, and mean free path on thermomechanical properties, commonly expressed as a function of weight percentage (wt.%) of added particles, was found to be better explained as a function of particle crowding (number of particles and distance among them). From this work, it was possible to conclude that the dramatic effect of particle size for the same tiny amount of very small and well-dispersed particles brings evidence that particle size and the particle weight content should be downscaled together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Boaretto
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90040-060, Brazil;
- Instituto Hercílio Randon, Caxias do Sul 95180-000, Brazil; (R.C.D.C.); (G.L.C.)
| | - Robinson Carlos Dudley Cruz
- Instituto Hercílio Randon, Caxias do Sul 95180-000, Brazil; (R.C.D.C.); (G.L.C.)
- Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul 95200-000, Brazil
| | | | | | - Cristiano Fragassa
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy;
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Crystallization Behavior and Morphology of Biodegradable Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Reduced Graphene Oxide Scaffolds. Biomimetics (Basel) 2022; 7:biomimetics7030116. [PMID: 36134920 PMCID: PMC9496191 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics7030116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphology, thermal properties and the non-isothermal melt crystallization kinetics of biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) scaffolds are studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at various cooling rates (5, 10, 15 and 20 °C/min). Thermally induced phase separation was used to manufacture the scaffolds (TIPS). The micrographs show a more homogeneous and defined morphology with larger pores and thicker pore walls. The melting temperature (Tm), melting enthalpy (ΔHm), crystallization enthalpy (ΔHc) and degree of crystallinity (Xc) increased with the addition of rGO, suggesting larger and more perfect crystalline structures. The degree of crystallinity increased with the presence of rGO. The crystallization peak shifted to higher temperatures as the rGO concentration increased independently of the cooling rates. The peak shifted to lower temperatures as the cooling rate increased with the same rGO composition. The values of t1/2 (time needed to reach 50% crystallization) were lower for scaffolds with rGO. The values of the crystallization rate coefficient were higher when the porous support contained rGO, which indicates that their crystallization systems are faster. The activation energy obtained with the Kissinger method decreased with the presence of rGO. The results indicate that reduced graphene oxide acts as a nucleating agent in the non-isothermal melt crystallization process. The addition of small quantities of rGO changes their thermal properties with which they can be modified for application in the field of tissue engineering.
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Hsia T, Wan J, Fan B, Thang SH. Bifunctional RAFT Agent Directed Preparation of Polymer/Graphene Oxide Composites. Macromol Rapid Commun 2021; 42:e2100460. [PMID: 34505728 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Polymer/graphene oxide (GO) composites, which combine the physical properties of GO and the processability of polymers, are of increasing interest in a variety of applications ranging from conductive foams, sensors, to bioelectronics. However, the preparation of these composites through physical blending demands the polymers with functional groups that interact strongly with the GO. Here the design and synthesis of a new bifunctional reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent are demonstrated, which allows the synthesis of polymers with predetermined molecular weights and low dispersibilities (Ð), while having functionalities at both polymer termini that allow strong binding to GO. To access polymers with diverse thermal and mechanical properties, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) copolymers with different types of acrylates, both short and long side chains, are synthesized under the control of the bifunctional RAFT agent. Furthermore, the strong binding between GO and the synthesized polymers is verified and explored to prepare polymer/GO composites with diverse tensile strengths and conductivity in the range of semiconductors. Overall, this novel RAFT agent is expected to expand the utility of polymer/GO composites by providing well-defined polymers with tunable properties and strong binding with GO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Hsia
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Jing Wan
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Bo Fan
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - San H Thang
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
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Bu J, Yuan L, Ren Y, Lv Y, Meng Y, Peng X. Enhanced removal of Eriochrome Black T in wastewater by zirconium-based MOF/graphene oxide. CAN J CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjc-2019-0368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The zirconium-based MOF/graphene oxide (UiO-66-NH2/GO) composites were prepared by ultrasonic dispersing different amounts of graphene oxide (GO) in a well-dissolved zirconium tetrachloride/H2BDC-NH2 mixture, obtaining 2 wt% (UiO-66-NH2/GO-1), 5 wt% (UiO-66-NH2/GO-2), and 10 wt% (UiO-66-NH2/GO-3) GO composites. The products were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, Raman, UV, XPS, and Zeta potential. Adsorption experiments on simulated Eriochrome Black T (EBT) printing and dyeing wastewater were carried out using UiO-66-NH2/GO, and the optimal conditions for adsorption were obtained by exploring the effects of initial EBT concentration, time, pH, and salt ionic strength. Adsorption isotherms, kinetics, mechanism, and regeneration were also researched. The adsorption behavior was consistent with the Langmuir isotherm and fully compliant with pseudo secondary dynamics model. The adsorption capacity of UiO-66-NH2/GO-2 was found to be the highest of the three products, which was 263.158 mg/g. Therefore, the UiO-66-NH2/GO-2 composite was considered to be an excellent adsorbent for the adsorption of EBT from organic dye wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Bu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
| | - Lu Yuan
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petrochemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Resources Processing and Advanced Materials, Hunan Province College, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Research Center of Resource Recycling Complex Technology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Hunan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
| | - Yanling Ren
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
| | - Yuexin Lv
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
| | - Yong Meng
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petrochemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Resources Processing and Advanced Materials, Hunan Province College, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Research Center of Resource Recycling Complex Technology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Hunan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
| | - Xin Peng
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petrochemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Resources Processing and Advanced Materials, Hunan Province College, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Research Center of Resource Recycling Complex Technology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Hunan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410081, P.R. China
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Alhammadi S, Minnam Reddy VR, Gedi S, Park H, Sayed MS, Shim JJ, Kim WK. Performance of Graphene-CdS Hybrid Nanocomposite Thin Film for Applications in Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Solar Cell and H 2 Production. NANOMATERIALS 2020; 10:nano10020245. [PMID: 32019191 PMCID: PMC7075183 DOI: 10.3390/nano10020245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A graphene-cadmium sulfide (Gr-CdS) nanocomposite was prepared by a chemical solution method, and its material properties were characterized by several analysis techniques. The synthesized pure CdS nanoparticles (NPs) and Gr-CdS nanocomposites were confirmed to have a stoichiometric atomic ratio (Cd/S = 1:1). The Cd 3d and S 2p peaks of the Gr-CdS nanocomposite appeared at lower binding energies compared to those of the pure CdS NPs according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The formation of the Gr-CdS nanocomposite was also evidenced by the structural analysis using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that CdS NPs were uniformly distributed on the graphene sheets. The absorption spectra of both the Gr-CdS nanocomposite and pure CdS NPs thin films showed an absorption edge at 550 nm related to the energy band gap of CdS (~2.42 eV). The Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film photovoltaic device with Gr-CdS nanocomposite buffer layer showed a higher electrical conversion efficiency than that with pure CdS NPs thin film buffer layer. In addition, the water splitting efficiency of the Gr-CdS nanocomposite was almost three times higher than that of pure CdS NPs.
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