Enhanced Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites by Graphene Oxide

The article reports the mechanical and thermal properties of graphene oxide (GO)/short carbon fiber (SCF)/polypropylene (PP) composite. The GO-coated SCF (GO-SCF) was prepared by a simple physical absorption method. The GO filled PP (GO-PP) was obtained by extrusion melt-mixing method. Then, GO-SCF reinforced GO-PP composite (GO-SCF/GO-PP) was prepared via the conventional extrusion compounding and injection molding techniques. The tensile, flexural and impact strengths of GO-SCF/GO-PP were obviously improved due to the chemical reaction and mechanical interlocking between the GO on SCF surface and PP. X-ray diffraction results showed the GO on SCF surface could act as a -nucleating agent for PP crystallization. Differentials scanning calorimeter showed that GO-SCF/GO-PP had good thermal stability. Therefore, the multiscale and synergistic effects of GO-SCF/GO-PP show the extensive potential on improving mechanical and thermal performance for various fields. (C) 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers