Multifunctional Polyimide/Graphene Oxide Composites via In Situ Polymerization

Abstract

In this article, we detail an effective way to improve electrical, thermal, and gas barrier properties using a simple processing method for polymer composites. Graphene oxide (GO) prepared with graphite using a modified Hummers method was used as a nanofiller for r-GO/PI composites by in situ polymerization. PI composites with different loadings of GO were prepared by the thermal imidization of polyamic acid (PAA)/GO. This method greatly improved the electrical properties of the r-GO/PI composites compared with pure PI due to the electrical percolation networks of reduced graphene oxide within the films. The conductivity of r-GO/PI composites (30:70 w/w) equaled 1.1 x 10(1) S m(-1), roughly 10(14) times that of pure PI and the oxygen transmission rate (OTR, 30:70 w/w) was reduced by about 93%. The Young's modulus of the r-GO/PI composite film containing 30 wt % GO increased to 4.2 GPa, which was an approximate improvement of 282% compared with pure PI film. The corresponding strength and the elongation at break decreased to 70.0 MPa and 2.2%, respectively. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40177.