Thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of functionalized graphene-reinforced bio-based polyurethane nanocomposites

In this study, the reinforcement effects of graphene on the properties of bio-based polyurethane (PU) were studied with the use of 1 wt% three functionalized graphene (dispersible graphene, reduced graphene oxide-NH2, and reduced graphene oxide-tetraethylene pentamine). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed the relatively homogeneous dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets in the PU matrix. It was found that the addition of 1 wt% of the different graphenes could lead to a significant reinforcement effect on the bio-based PU. Especially, PU nanocomposite with 1 wt% dispersible graphene exhibited 6 degrees C improvement in the T-g, 75% increment in storage modulus at 25 degrees C, 34% increase in tensile strength, and 30% increase in Young's modulus.