Composite coatings of polyamide/graphene: microstructure, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties

This effort reports on novel fluorinated polyamide (FPA) and polyamide 1010 (PA1010)-based blends and graphene reinforced nanocomposite. PA1010/FPA (80:20) blend was opted as matrix material on the basis of molecular weight, thermal, and shear stress performance. Graphene was obtained through in situ chemical method of graphene oxide reduction. PA1010/FPA/Graphene nanocomposites was developed using various graphene loadings (up to 5wt.%). Thin film coatings were prepared on glass substrate. Consequently, the PA1010/FPA/Graphene attained regular spongy morphological pattern. PA1010/FPA/Graphene 3 also showed improved T-0 and T-max of 534 and 591 degrees C relative to the neat blend (T-10 423 degrees C; T-max 551 degrees C). Limiting oxygen index measurement indicated better non-flammability of PA1010/FPA/Graphene 1-3 nanocomposite series (57-60%) relative to the blend series (28-31%). UL94 tests also showed V-0 rating for nanocomposites. Furthermore, PA1010/FPA/Graphene 3 nanocomposite revealed significantly high tensile strength (62MPa), flexural modulus (1690MPa), and adhesive properties to be utilized as coating materials. The nanocomposite coatings also displayed outstanding barrier properties against O-2 and H2O compared with neat blends.