Mechanical and barrier properties of polymer nanocomposites based on poly(ethyelene terephthalate) - PET and graphene oxide-GO

Abstract

Graphene and its derivatives were widely disseminated at the beginning of the 21st century,being isolated for the first time through the micromechanical exfoliation of its precursor, graphite. Due to its excellent properties, two-dimensional carbon-based materials have presented a very wide range of possible applications, one of which being the one addressed in this project. This project will be in the field of polymer nanocomposites development, being studied the system between polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and graphene oxide (GO). According to researchers, the techniques that allow greater dispersion of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix and consequently, more expressive properties improvement, are those of solution premixing and in-situ polymerization. However, these have great limitations, such as low speed and volume of production, not being characterized as the most suitable for the industry. Therefore, this project will use the technique of melt mixing, through a twin-screw extruder, for the production of PET/GO based nanocomposites. The main objective of this work will be to obtain PET/GO nanocomposites with high barrier and mechanical properties for the packaging sector, without losing the high transparency degree of PET. The dispersion, interaction and morphology of the nanocomposites will be evaluated based on three different compositions (0.05wt%, 0.1wt% and 0.3wt%), in addition to characterizing the thermal, mechanical and barrier properties. (AU)