An Insight Into the Physico-Mechanical Signatures of Silylated Graphene Oxide in Poly(ethylene methyl acrylate) Copolymeric Thermoplastic Matrix

Dispersion of graphene as nano-building block in polymer matrix is challenging for developing high strength polymer nanocomposites. Tuning of surface polarity can be an effective pathway to resolve this issue of dispersion. Besides this, the polymer matrix (Ethylene methyl acrylate or EMA) has been chosen here judicially due to its polar-nonpolar alternating copolymeric segments which indirectly facilitated dispersion of nanofillers. Herein, graphene oxide has been lyophilically modified by virtue of surface grafting phenomenon with the help of di-halo substituted silane. The most surprising outcome which has been nurtured is their superior dispersion, improvement in physico-mechanical features, and transparency without affecting the inherent compliance of pristine polymer. The transmission electron microscopic image of silane functionalized graphene oxide (GOF) is showing surface roughness which has immense effect of physisorption and mechanical anchoring of polymer chains over GOF nano-sheets. Such physical interaction has enough impact on mechanical properties which has been discussed here. Moreover, the deterioration of transparency was not so much affected after loading of GOF filler. The filler distribution also has been confirmed in the light of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) study. Thermal treatment has been conducted for composites which accounted high thermal stability comparatively to pristine polymer.