Studying the dispersion of graphene for novel nanocomposite materials

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The safe transport of sensitive fluids (liquids, oils, emulsions, gases) underground and within structures, relies upon pressure piping, normally made from engineered polyethylene alloys and composites. This type of piping is strongly regulated by governments due to the substantial disruptions caused to our communities and our environment when they fail too quickly. The current standard for pressure pipe in construction is designated PE100 which featuring a designed stress tolerance of 8 MPa and has a service life of 50 years. To make the next leap to stronger, longer lasting piping (PE125), it is unlikely that polymer structure alone will satisfy the stress tolerance requirements and so, researchers are seeking efficient fillers that will meet the cost and strengthen criteria of a suitable polymer composite. Graphene is a new nanosized filler aimed at conductivity and reinforcement applications but it is generally far too expensive to be considered for anything beyond high-value products like electronics and quite difficult to effectively mix into viscous polymers. Universal Matter Inc (UMI) has a new graphene product on the verge of being commercialized which they believe overcomes both cost and mixing challenges for this nanofiller and would make the jump possible to a polymer grade suitable for PE125 piping. The proposed research will examine the dispersability of their graphene product into polyethylene using industrially favoured melt compounding methods with a twin-screw extruder to make suitable polymer grade for PE125 piping. With a successful resin produced, we will compare the dispersability of this graphene in other polymers of differing hydrophobility to better understand the mechanism of dispersion taking place in the compounding process. Ideally, UMI plans to include a melt compounding division in a new production facility that they will begin to build in 2022 and the project outcomes will drive their decisions on the size and scope of the division.