Epitaxial crystallization of poly (e-caprolactone) (PCL) on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is investigated by melt and solution crystallization. After annealing, PCL/RGO composites show extra melting peak, which implies that epitaxial crystallization of PCL on RGO could form thicker lamellae. A control procedure of solution crystallization was used to confirm the epitaxy morphology and orientation of polymer chains. The results show that PCL chains form edge-on lamellae on RGO [1], which implies strong interaction between PCL crystals and RGO surface. Poly (e-caprolactone) (PCL)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposite bars are prepared by injection molding. The effects of RGO on the PCL matrix were investigated. Differential scanning calorimeter and polarized optical microscopy results demonstrate that RGO is an effective nucleation agent for PCL. Two-dimensional wide angle X-ray diffraction and small angle X-ray scattering were performed. The results show that the incorporation of RGO does not influence the structure of PCL crystal cell. Meanwhile, the degree of orientation of PCL crystals is enhanced, since RGO prevents the motion of polymer chains. The mechanical properties of PCL could be improved by the enhanced orientation of PCL crystal. This work provide further understanding of the enhancement mechanism of layered nanofiller on the structures and mechanical properties of semi-crystalline polymer film.[1]Bing-Jie Wang, Yu-Jie Zhang, Jian-Qiang Zhang, Hu-Yan Li, Peng Chen, Zong-Bao Wang*, Qun Gu*, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 52, 15824-15828, 2013.

Reduced graphene oxide enhancesthe crystallization and orientationof poly (e-caprolactone)

248th National Meeting (2014)

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