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Crystallinity and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-based Graphene Nanocomposites Studied with Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2013

Kjerstin Gronski ,
Robinson Flaig ,
Jorge Camacho ,
Yan Wu  and
James P. Hamilton
Kjerstin Gronski
Affiliation:
Nanotechnology Center for Collaborative Research and Development, Department of Chemistry and Engineering Physics,University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA.
Robinson Flaig
Affiliation:
Nanotechnology Center for Collaborative Research and Development, Department of Chemistry and Engineering Physics,University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA.
Jorge Camacho
Affiliation:
Nanotechnology Center for Collaborative Research and Development, Department of Chemistry and Engineering Physics,University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA.
Yan Wu
Affiliation:
Nanotechnology Center for Collaborative Research and Development, Department of Chemistry and Engineering Physics,University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA.
James P. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Nanotechnology Center for Collaborative Research and Development, Department of Chemistry and Engineering Physics,University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA.
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Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the morphology and the local mechanical properties of polypropylene-based graphene nanocomposites. Amplitude Modulated AFM was used to perform phase angle measurements to estimate the loss tangent, along with the local elastic modulus of the nanocomposite’s surface as a function of graphene content. We have observed an increasing trend in phase angle as the graphene content increased. We also identified wrinkled graphene flakes embedded in the polymer matrix. The graphene corrugation and mismatched strain between polymer and graphene sheets show a variation in the phase angle that is corroborated with Raman measurements. Mechanically exfoliated graphene on SiO2 was characterized as a baseline to understand the effect of graphene wrinkles compared to graphene surfaces on phase angle. The Raman results revealed that there are changes in the crystalline morphology of the polymer with the addition of graphene.

Keywords

polymercompositeelastic properties
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1557: Symposium Y – Advances in Scanning Probe Microscopy for Imaging Functionality on the Nanoscale , 2013 , mrss13-1557-y05-11
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

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References

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