Loading patent…
AssigneeRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
InventorsThomas J. Nosker, Jennifer K. Lynch-Branzoi, Bernard H. Kear, Justin Hendrix, Gordon Chiu
Estimating the term…
A method for forming a graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite by distributing graphite microparticles into a molten thermoplastic polymer phase comprising one or more molten thermoplastic polymers; and applying a succession of shear strain events to the molten polymer phase so that the molten polymer phase exfoliates the graphene successively with each event, until tearing of exfoliated multilayer graphene sheets occurs and produces reactive edges on the multilayer sheets that react with and cross-link the one or more thermoplastic polymers; where the one or more thermoplastic polymers are selected from thermoplastic polymers subject to UV degradation.
A graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite comprising thermoplastic polymer molecules inter-molecularly and directly cross-linked by mechanically torn single- and/or multi-layer graphene sheets having carbon atoms with reactive bonding sites on the torn edges of the mechanically torn single- and/or multi-layer graphene sheets, wherein the mechanically torn single- and/or multi-layer graphene sheets are exfoliated from graphite and comprise contamination-free graphene-polymer interfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.