Hybrid biocomposites from polypropylene, sustainable biocarbon and graphene nanoplatelets

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 10714
• Main Authors: Watt, Ethan, Abdelwahab, Mohamed A., Snowdon, Michael R., Mohanty, Amar K., Khalil, Hamdy, Misra, Manjusri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/301/357; 639/638/298; 639/638/455; Graphene; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hybridization; Hydrophobicity; Mechanical properties; multidisciplinary; Nonrenewable resources; Polymers; Polypropylene; Renewable resources; Resource consumption; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sustainability; Sustainable use; Thermal stability
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66855-4

Polypropylene (PP) is an attractive polymer for use in automotive parts due to its ease of processing, hydrophobic nature, chemical resistance and low density. The global shift towards eliminating non-renewable resource consumption has promoted research of sustainable biocarbon (BioC) filler in a PP matrix, but this material often leads to reduction in composite strength and requires additional fillers. Graphene nano-platelets (GnPs) have been the subject of considerable research as a nanofiller due to their strength, while maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA-g-PP) is a commonly used compatibilizer for improvement of interfacial adhesion in composites. This study compared the thermo-mechanical properties of PP/BioC/MA-g-PP/GnP composites with varying wt.% of GnP. Morphological analysis revealed uniform dispersion of BioC, while significant agglomeration of GnPs limited their even dispersion throughout the PP matrix. In the optimal blend of 3 wt.% GnP and 17 wt.% BioC biocontent, tensile strength and modulus increased by ~19% and ~22% respectively, as compared to 20 wt.% BioC biocomposites. Thermal stability and performance enhancement occurred through incorporation of the fillers. Thus, hybridization of fillers in the compatibilized matrix presents a promising route to the enhancement of material properties, while reducing petroleum-based products through use of sustainable BioC filler in composite structures.