Synergically enhanced viscoelastic behavior of binary nanocarbon based polyurethane hybrid nanocomposite foams

Abstract

Carbon-nanofillers are known for improving the desired properties of polymers. The dispersion quality of nanofillers in the matrix is vital for the fabrication of high-performance nanocomposites. An effective approach for improving dispersion states of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) was employed via hybrid inclusion of the nanofillers in polyurethane matrix to further enhancing viscoelastic properties. Nanocomposites based on MWCNTs, two groups of graphene and hybrid MWCNT/graphene with varied weight fractions and ratios were fabricated via a simple, quick and scalable approach. Dynamic mechanical analysis results indicated an improvement of up to 86% in storage modulus at 25C for hybrid MWCNT/GNP-S750 at only 0.25 wt% loading, whereas solely MWCNTs and graphene nanocomposites showed 9% and 15% enhancement at the same content, respectively. The glass transition temperature value was enhanced by about 9.5 C with 0.25 wt% inclusion of well-dispersed three-dimensional MWCNT/GNP-S750 structure, which disclosed a noticeable synergistic effect in thermomechanical properties.