Significantly enhanced the properties of PE/GO composites with segregated structures via two‐step compound

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science 2021-06, Vol.138 (22), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Cao, Jiandong, Ren, Shangyuan, Xin, Shixuan, Bai, Yongxiao, Wang, Wenjie, Gao, Wensheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antistatics; composites; Compounding; Conducting polymers; Conductors; Electrical resistivity; Graphene; graphene oxide; Materials science; Mechanical properties; Percolation; Polyethylene; Polyethylenes; Polymer matrix composites; Polymers
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.50518

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) have generated significant academic and industrial interest due to the wide applications in anti‐static materials, electromagnetic interface, sensor, and conductors. Nonetheless, the CPCs fabricated by conventional melt‐mixing applied to the scalable production generally have a very high percolation threshold, which always suffer from the various draw backs such as, high melt viscosities, low economic affordability, inferior mechanical properties, and solution compounding by reducing the viscosity improves the uniformity of nano‐particles. This work aims at building a segregated structure in polyethylene to enhance mechanical properties and electrical conductivity, by taking advantage of the solution compounding and melt‐blending methods. Based on the segregated structure, the composites showed the enhanced mechanical properties, thermal stabilities and antistatic properties with a low percolation threshold. In addition, the composite mechanism between graphene oxide and polyethylene and the structure‐performance relationship of the CPCs were elucidated and explored by SEM, TEM, and FTIR. LLDPE (Linear low density polyethylene) based MGO (alkylated Graphene oxide) composites aims at building a segregated structure in polyethylene and realizing the molecular‐level complex between MGO and polyethylene, by taking advantage of the solution compounding and melt‐blending methods in the work. Based on the segregated structure, the composite not only achieves antistatic properties with a low percolation threshold, but also ensures the improvement of mechanical properties and thermal stabilities through uniform dispersion and good compatibility.