Carboxyl-functionalized graphene reinforced aromatic polyamide nanocomposites

Abstract

Carboxyl-functionalized graphene (CG)reinforced aromatic polyamide (PA) nanocomposites (CGPA) were prepared with CG nanofillers (1, 3 and 5 wt.%) by the delamination/adsorption method. PA was synthesized by 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid with aromatic diamine via direct polycondensation reaction. The prepared CGPA nanocomposites were evaluated through Fourier transform infrared techniques (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the melting temperatures (Tm) of CGPA nanocomposites were significantly increased from 289°C to 359°C. The thermal decomposition temperature was improved by ∼13°C with the incorporation of CG nanofiller. CG nanofillers play a significant role in improving the thermal properties of CGPA nanocomposites.