Development of In Situ Generated Graphene/Benzoxazine-Epoxy Nanocomposite for Capacitor Applications

We report an effective way to develop thermally strong and multifunctional cardanol-based nanocomposite using graphene as nanofiller. New benzoxazine monomer was synthesized by using bio-product cardanol, aniline, and formaldehyde. Benzoxazine-graphene nanocomposites (pba-g) were prepared by in situ polymerization. The pba-g precursor was copolymerized with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A at different loading level to make copolymer. Benzoxazine monomer was characterized by Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR) and NMR. Graphene was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM. Benzoxazine-graphene/epoxy (epba-g) nanocomposites have been characterized by FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis, and inductance capacitance and resistance meter. Both the thermal and electrical properties of epba-g were significantly improved compared with those of pure epoxy (ep) matrix. The dielectric constant of epba-g was 11, which was four times higher than that of pure epoxy matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1-7, 2015. (c) 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers