Effects of surface functionalized graphene oxide on the behavior of sodium alginate

The aim of this study was to improve the miscibility between fillers and polymer through modifying the face of graphene oxide (GO). In order to compare the effects of GO and modified graphene oxide (MGO) to sodium alginate (SA), sodium alginate/graphene oxide (SA/GO-n) and sodium alginate/modified graphene oxide (SA/MGO-n) biocomposite films were prepared, then the interaction between nanofillers and matrix was evaluated. The structure, morphologies and properties of biocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical tests. The results revealed that strong interactions existed between GO (MGO) and SA. Compared with neat SA film, the maximum level of Young's moduli (E), tensile strength (sigma(b)) and elongation at break (epsilon(b)) of the SA/MGO biocomposites improved by 37.8%, 68.4% and 44.9%, while that of the SA/G0 biocomposites improved by 19.6%, 44% and 36.5%. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.