Polymer-graphene nanocomposites
AssigneeReliance Industries Limited
InventorsAllen David Clauss, Guiquan Pan, Nicholas Richard Wietfeldt, Matthew Clayton Hall, David D. Taft
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Abstract
Provided herein is technology relating to polymer-graphene nanocomposites and particularly, but not exclusively, to methods for producing polymer-graphene nanocomposites using master batches comprising graphene and a polymer or polymer precursor. The resulting polymer-graphene nanocomposites comprise a high degree of exfoliation and dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets within the polymer matrix.
Claims15
A master batch composition for making a polymer nanocomposite, the master batch composition comprising a polymer, wherein the polymer is a poly(vinyl lactam), a polyacrylamide, a thermoplastic polymer, thermoset polymer, polyethylene polymer, polypropylene polymer, polycarbonate polymer, unsaturated polyester, polyvinylchloride, or epoxy vinyl ester, or epoxy and at least 20% by weight exfoliated graphene.
A method of making a master batch composition for producing a polymer nanocomposite, the method comprising:
- a) mixing a slurry of graphene, wherein the slurry of graphene is produced by:
- i) treating graphite in an N-alkyl-pyrrolidone to produce solvent exfoliated graphene in the N-alkyl-pyrrolidone;
- ii) removing most of the N-alkyl-pyrrolidone to produce a concentrated solution or dispersion of graphene in the N-alkyl-pyrrolidone;
- and
- iii) adding a solvent to the graphene in N-alkyl-pyrrolidone to produce the slurry of graphene in the solvent system in a solvent system with a polymer;
- and
- b) removing the solvent system to produce a master batch comprising from 20% to 60% exfoliated graphene.
A method of making a graphene/thermoplastic master batch consisting of the steps:
- a) concentrating a solution or stable dispersion of exfoliated graphene above the solubility and stable dispersion limit of the exfoliated graphene;
- b) dissolving a thermoplastic polymer in the graphene/solvent slurry in a ratio of 1:1 to 1:5 graphene to polymer;
- and
- c) removing the solvent with continuous mixing to isolate the resultant graphene/polymer master batch as a solid.
A method of making a graphene/polymer master batch, the method comprising:
- a) exfoliating graphene in a polymerizable solvent, wherein the polymerizable solvent is N-vinyl pyrrolidone or N,N-dimethyl acrylamide to provide a dispersion of exfoliated graphene in the polymerizable solvent;
- b) polymerizing the polymerizable solvent to produce a graphene/polymer master batch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.