Composites made from polar polymers such as poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) or poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and graphene oxide (GO) have yielded large increases in fracture toughness when used in carbon fiber-epoxy laminates. A combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and deuterium (<sup>2</sup>H) solid-state NMR has been used to understand the behavior of composites of PVAc and GO. From calorimetry, no glass transition was observed, but deuterium NMR spectra identified the onset of rapid segmental motions over a very broad temperature range. Some segments had a transition at temperatures lower than the bulk polymer, and some had transitions that were higher than bulk. These differences were deemed to be due to the interaction of the polymer with different surface functionalities of the GO. This heterogeneity lead to a glass transition that was too broad to be observed by calorimetry, but was clearly evident by NMR.

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Composites of graphene oxide and poly(vinyl acetate) - implications for enhanced mechanical behavior

249th National Meeting (2015)

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<br /> Composites of graphene oxide and poly(vinyl acetate) - implications for enhanced mechanical behavior