Work

Facile synthesis of high-performance and self-healing polyurethane-urea nanocomposites reinforced with graphene

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: In this study, a facile method was employed to synthesize strong, yet highly elastic polyurethane-urea (PUU) with typical characteristics and 94 % optical transmittance. Graphene platelets (GNPs) were prepared and modified via a scalable and eco-friendly mechanochemical approach. The produced GNPs is at 1.6-nm thickness with high electrical conductivity of ∼950 S/m. The structure-property relations of PUU/GNP nanocomposites were comprehensively investigated through morphology and mechanical properties measurements. The strong interface and high-density hydrogen bonds between modified GNPs (M-GNPs) and PUU significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the PUU nanocomposite. The PUU composite showed 66.7 % and 36.2 % increments in tensile and impact strengths, respectively, at 0.2 wt% M-GNPs. The reversible hydrogen bond between M-GNPs and PUU endowed the nanocomposite with self-healing properties achieving 97.8 % healing efficiency of the strength after 5 h at 120 °C. This study demonstrates the importance of surface modification and provides a simple yet robust approach for preparing high-performance and functional PUU/graphene composites.

Source: Nano Materials Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoms.2024.08.007

Authors: Qingshi Meng, Zhaoyang Xu, Yin Yu, Yikuan Li, Abdullatif Lacina Diaby, Sherif Araby

Institutions: Shenyang Aerospace University, Northeastern University, University of South Australia, Nazarbayev University

Language: English

Topic: Polymer composites and self-healing

Subfield: Polymers and Plastics

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province, National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China

Awards: G1404391755, G1630150154, G5108835431