The effects of nano-sized carbon fillers on the physico-chemical, mechanical, and biological properties of polyester nanocomposites

31 July 2018, Version 2
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

Nanocomposites based on poly(ethylene terephthalate-ethylene dilinoleate) (PET-DLA) copolymers of different hard to soft segment ratios (40:60 and 60:40) and three different carbon nanofillers of different aspect ratios (dimensions), as 0D carbon black, 1D multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and 2D graphene, have been prepared in situ during two-stage polymerization. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the chemical structures of the obtained nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated very good dispersions of all carbon nanofillers in both polymer matrices. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results revealed that the addition of nano-sized fillers eliminated cold crystallization of materials containing 40% hard segments in polymer matrix. We found that the high aspect ratio, 1D nano-filler (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) strongly nucleated crystallization of materials containing 60% of hard segments. This nanofiller also yielded the greatest improvement in the Young’s modulus as assessed by tensile tests, both at 24 oC and 37 oC. We did not observe reduced bacterial adhesion to nanocomposites, likely due to increased roughness. Importantly, in vitro cytocompatibility tests with L929 murine fibroblasts demonstrated cell viability and growth on all materials except those containing carbon nanotubes. Finally, both high aspect ratio nanofillers markedly improved the barrier properties of obtained nanocomposites. New materials were successfully used for manufacturing of prototype of heart assist device, with pneumatic membrane made of graphene nanocomposite.

Keywords

Thermoplastic Elastomers
carbon Nanotubes
graphene
carbon blacks
Nanocomposite Materials

Supplementary materials

Title
Description
Actions
Title
Supplementary Materials 2018 07 31
Description
Actions

Comments

Comments are not moderated before they are posted, but they can be removed by the site moderators if they are found to be in contravention of our Commenting Policy [opens in a new tab] - please read this policy before you post. Comments should be used for scholarly discussion of the content in question. You can find more information about how to use the commenting feature here [opens in a new tab] .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy [opens in a new tab] and Terms of Service [opens in a new tab] apply.