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Strengthened epoxy resin with hyperbranched polyamine-ester anchored graphene oxide via novel phase transfer approach

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Abstract

This work investigated the mechanical properties of epoxy resin composites embedded with graphene oxide (GO) using a novel two-phase extraction method. The graphene oxide from water phase was transferred into epoxy resin forming homogeneous suspension. Hyperbranched polyamine-ester (HBPE) anchored graphene oxide (GOHBPE) was prepared by modifying GO with HBPE using a neutralization reaction. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the HBPE was successfully grafted to the GO surface. The mechanical properties and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the composites demonstrated that GOHBPE played a critical role in mechanical reinforcement owing to the layered structure of GO, wrinkled topology, surface roughness and surface area ascending from various oxygen groups of GO itself, and the inarching of HBPE and the reaction among GO, HBPE, and epoxy resin. The transferred GOHBPE/epoxy resin composites showed 69.1% higher impact strength, 129.1% more tensile strength, 45.3% larger modulus, and 70.8% higher strain compared to that of cured neat epoxy resin. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of GOHBPE/epoxy resin composites was increased from 135 to 141 °C and their damping capacity was also improved from 0.71 to 0.91. This study provides guidelines for the fabrication of strengthened polymer composites using phase transfer approach.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the supports from the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institution; the Key Laboratory Funded by Jiangsu advanced welding technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51402132), Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. BK2012279 and No. BK20140505), and US National Science Foundation under grants of CMMI-1560834 and IIP-1700628.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Demonstration Center for Experimental Materials Science and Engineering Education, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, People’s Republic of China

    Jiao-Xia Zhang, Xiaojing Wang, Hai-Jun Zhou, Shi-Yun Li & Jing Zhang

  2. Integrated Composites Laboratory (ICL), Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Jiao-Xia Zhang & Zhanhu Guo

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, People’s Republic of China

    Yun-Xia Liang

  4. Lyles School of Civil Engineering, School of Materials Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA

    Yining Feng & Na Lu

  5. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Qiang Wang

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  1. Jiao-Xia Zhang
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  2. Yun-Xia Liang
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  3. Xiaojing Wang
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  4. Hai-Jun Zhou
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  5. Shi-Yun Li
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  8. Na Lu
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  9. Qiang Wang
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  10. Zhanhu Guo
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Correspondence to Hai-Jun Zhou, Qiang Wang or Zhanhu Guo.

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Zhang, JX., Liang, YX., Wang, X. et al. Strengthened epoxy resin with hyperbranched polyamine-ester anchored graphene oxide via novel phase transfer approach. Adv Compos Hybrid Mater 1, 300–309 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-017-0007-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-017-0007-0

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