GT70 - Abstract Preview
GT70
Symposium: S01 - General Session
Oral Presentation
 
 

Thermoplastic polyurethane/graphene nanocomposites: the effect of graphene oxide on morphological and functional properties

Russo Pietro (1)*, Acierno Domenico (2), Capezzuto Filomena (3), Buonocore Giovanna (3), Di Maio Luciano (4), Lavorgna Marino (3)

(1) Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council - Pozzuoli Napoli - Italy, (2) INSTM, Reference Centre for Transformation Technology for Polymeric and Composite Materials - Napoli - Italy, (3) Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council - Napoli - Italy, (4) Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno - Fisciano Salerno - Italy

Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) have been widely used for a variety of applications such as fibers, coating, adhesives, and biomedical items because of their melt processability and versatile properties. These features are essentially related to their specific structure constituted by the presence of hard domains made by low molecular weight diols, diammines and diisocyante embedded in soft domains formed by flexible polyether and polyester polyols. This microphase separation, depending on many factors as the nature and size of the segments, the type of the chain extender, synthesis conditions and manufacturing process, affects significantly the physical properties of these materials. However, low stiffness and tensile strength as well as weak barrier properties still limit their use. These drawbacks are usually overcome by the inclusion of nanofillers which are able to modify the segregated hard/soft domains of TPU matrix. In this frame, noteworthy are the graphene/polymer nanocomposites that have gained in the last decade a growing interest from the research thanks to their enhanced mechanical, electrical and barrier properties. In this contribution the attention was paid on composite films based on a commercial thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) resin and graphene oxide (GO). In particular, TPU films filled with 0.2, 0.5% and 1.0% by weight of GO were obtained according to a two-step procedure: a co-solvent methodology to obtain a concentrated TPU/graphene master followed by a dilution with the neat TPU matrix by extrusion melt compounding. All investigated film samples were analyzed in terms of morphological and structural features as well as by mechanical, dynamic-mechanical and barrier properties tests with the aim to find useful structure-property relationships.