Enhanced thermal and mechanical properties of poly(trimethylene terephthalate-block-poly(tetramethylene oxide) segmented copolymer based hybrid nanocomposites prepared by in situ polymerization via synergy effect between SWCNTs and graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract : Graphene nanoplatelets/single walled carbon nanotubes/polytrimethylene terephthalate-block-poly tetramethylene oxide segmented copolymer (GNP/SWCNT/PTT-PTMO) hybrid nanocomposites were synthesized via in situ polymn. A remarkable synergistic effect between GNPs and SWCNTs on improving thermal and mech. properties of nanocomposites based on segmented block copolymers was obsd. Heterogeneous structure of the PTT-PTMO allowed for a better and more uniform distribution of both types of nanoparticles and stabilized the structure in question. This enabled us to observe a so-called 'synergistic effect', caused by the use of mixt. of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanopletelets, on the enhancement of thermal and mech. properties of the obtained polymer. In order to ascertain the influence of mentioned carbon nanostructures on the nano-phase-sepd. structure of the synthesized PTT-PTMO block copolymers, differential scanning calorimetric DSC and dynamic mech. thermoanal. (DMTA) measurements were performed. Scanning electron microscopic SEM and transmission electron microscopic TEM images of the PTT-PTMO nanocomposites displayed that hybrid nanofillers exhibited better distribution and compatibility than SWCNTs and GNPs did individually. The tensile modulus of 0.5SWCNT/0.1GNP/PTT-PTMO composites was 68% higher than that of the PTT-PTMO alone, compared to only a 10 and 28% increase in tensile modulus for 0.3GNP/PTT-PTMO and 0.3SWCNT/PTT-PTMO composites resp. the highest concn. when single nanofiller was added.