Composites of Graphene(s) and TPEs/TPVs

毫无例外，对于大多数纳米材料，包括石墨烯家族材料，提出的第一个大规模应用是作为复合材料应用的功能性填料。到目前为止，趋势是使用不同的混合装置，更经常地使用不代表工业中使用的混合方法，将表征较差的石墨烯添加到感兴趣的聚合物中。不出所料，这种方法严重阻碍了这些复合材料的充分利用。关键的是，石墨烯和聚合物之间的界面相互作用的促进被许多研究人员广泛忽视。定制这种复合材料的性质取决于石墨烯在感兴趣的聚合物/橡胶中的有效分散和分布，其程度由有利的界面相互作用和复合材料组分的有效混合的组合决定。在本项目中，将研究模型石墨烯与来自石化和生物来源的热塑性弹性体（TPE）和热塑性硫化橡胶（TPV）之间的分散和界面相互作用。TPE/TPV是多相系统，将使用一系列光谱和显微技术检查石墨烯在不同相中的受控定位。将研究加工，复合材料结构和性能之间的关系，该项目的最终目的是从根本上了解两相聚合物系统中控制非官能化和官能化石墨烯定位的因素，以便可以定制TPE/TPV的性能。

Without exception the first large scale application proposed for most nanomaterials, including the graphene family of materials is as a functional filler for composite applications. To date, the tendency has been to add poorly characterised graphene to the polymer of interest using different mixing devices, more often using mixing methods not representative of that used in industry. Unsurprisingly, this approach has significantly hindered the full exploitation of these composite materials. Critically, the promotion of interfacial interactions between the graphene and polymer is widely ignored by many researchers. Tailoring the properties of such composites is dependent on effective dispersion and distribution of the graphene in the polymer/rubber of interest, the extent of which determined by a combination of favourable interfacial interaction and efficient mixing of the composite component. In this project, the dispersion of and interfacial interaction between model graphene(s) and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV)s from both petrochemical and bio-derived sources will be studied. TPEs/TPV's are multiphase systems and the controlled localisation of the graphene in different phases will be examined using a range of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The relationship between processing, composite structure and properties will be investigated where the, ultimate aim of the project is to gain a fundamental understanding of the factors that control localization of unfunctionalized and functionalized graphene(s) in two phase polymer systems such that the properties of the TPE/TPV can be tailored.