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A novel alumina nanoparticle‐carbon micro‐nanofiber‐polypropylene nanocomposite with improved electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties
Author(s) -
Khare Prateek,
Verma Nishith
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.23783
Subject(s) - materials science , polypropylene , nanocomposite , composite material , carbon nanofiber , ultimate tensile strength , nanofiber , maleic anhydride , polyethylene glycol , polymer , chemical engineering , carbon nanotube , copolymer , engineering
Alumina (AA) nanoparticles‐ (NPs) dispersed activated carbon microfibers/carbon nanofibers (ACFs/CNFs) were used as fillers in a ∼30 μm thick polymeric film of polypropylene (PP) crosslinked with maleic anhydride (MAH) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PEG‐MAH‐PP film was prepared using the solution casting method, with MAH acting as a “bridging” group between PEG and PP. The AA‐ACF/CNF filler was dispersed in situ into the reaction mixture during polymerization and before the curing step. The metal oxide NPs‐carbon micro‐nanofiber‐polymer (AA‐ACF/CNF‐PP) nanocomposite exhibited significantly enhanced electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, which can be attributed to the thermally stable AA NPs, the electrically conductive CNFs, which have a high tensile strength, and the uniform dispersion of AA‐ACFs/CNFs in the crosslinked polymeric matrix of PP, MAH, and PEG. The production method described in this study is novel and simple, and the resulting nanocomposite may potentially be used as a battery separator and in structural materials. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E359–E370, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers