Mechanical properties of polybutadiene reinforced with octadecylamine modified graphene oxide

Octadecylamine-modified graphene-oxide (OMGO) polybutadiene nanocomposites with different OMGO loadings were prepared by solution mixing. The dispersion of OMGO in chloroform is greatly improved compared to GO. Toughness and elongation of PBD-OMGO nanocomposites increase by 332% and 191% respectively compared with pure PBD. However, Young's modulus of PBD-OMGO nanocomposite decreases by 10% at 2-wt% loading. Graphene sheet crumpling accounts for the increased toughness, the absence of modulus reinforcement and the absence of a Payne effect for PBD-OMGO. The oxidation susceptibility of PBD is greatly reduced after the addition of OMGO, which is particularly desirable in the tire industry. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.