Synthesis of Janus/non-Janus hollow graphene oxide micro- and nanoparticles and the effects of their localization on the thermal conductivity of blend-based polymer composites

In this study, the effects of Janus, hydrophilic and hydrophobic hollow graphene oxide (HO) particles on the thermal conductivity of binary polymer blends were investigated. The HO Janus (HOJ) micro- and nanoparticles were synthesized via buoyancy-induced desymmetrization process. The characteristics of the produced HO and HOJ micro- and nanoparticles were investigated using FTIR, TGA, EDX, FE-SEM, centrifuge and contact angle tests. Different PS/PMMA micro- and nanocomposite samples were prepared via solution mixing and subjected to the thermal conduction test. The results revealed that the presence of HO micro- and nanoparticles in either phase could increase the conduction coefficient of the PS/PMMA blend (K) though their simultaneous presence in both phases had significantly more impact on K. On the other hand, comparing the results of the blend samples with and without HOJ micro- and nanoparticle defined an outstanding improvement in the thermal conductivity of the polymer/polymer interface due to the presence of Janus particles. Also, the thermal stability of the samples decreased with the increment of their thermal conductivity and this effect was more significant in the case of the samples containing both HO and HOJ micro- and nanoparticles.

Automated summary

In this study, HO Janus (HOJ) micro- and nanoparticles were synthesized through buoyancy-induced desymmetrization process, and their effects on the thermal conductivity of binary polymer blends were investigated. The results showed that the presence of HO micro- and nanoparticles could increase the conduction coefficient of the blends, while their simultaneous presence in both phases had a significantly more impact on the thermal conductivity.