Fabrication of 2d cross-linked graphene oxide based polymer composites for improved mechanical and thermal stability

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) has extraordinary physical and chemical characteristics such as high mechanical and thermal stability, super adsorption property, excellent bio-sensing, electrical capacity etc. GO containing polymers especially hydrogels of poly(acylic acid) adopt these characteristics which enhance acceptance and usability of hydrogels. In this study, acrylate functionalized graphene oxide (AFGO) is fabricated through a common EDC coupling reaction of GO and amine containing double bonded compound and this AFGO is employed as graphene oxide based cross-linker (GOBC) containing a large number of active sites on its 2D surface. It is well-established that the cross-linked polymers using traditional cross-linkers show enhanced mechanical properties but the increase of cross-linker density in hydrogel leads to immobility of molecular chain, hardness and brittleness which limits the fields of its applications. But here, polymers composites prepared by very small weight percent of GOBC overcome the drawbacks of the traditionally cross-linked counterparts by enhancing the mechanical and thermal stability of the polymer composites.