Proanthocyanidin‐Induced Horizontal Arrangement in Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Graphene Composites with Enhanced Mechanical Properties. Issue 6 (19th March 2019) - Wang, Chao
Abstract: A green approach is employed to prepare mechanically enhanced composites by adding noncovalently proanthocyanidin (PC)‐modified graphene (PC‐rGO) into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Ascorbic acid (AA) is used as the reducing agent, and PC is used as a dispersant to synthesize low‐defect and fully dispersed graphene. After static treatment, the PC‐rGO sheets in the composite form a horizontally arranged structure. Compared with neat PVA, the Young's modulus of the graphene‐modified composites is significantly enhanced by approximately 79.3% with incorporation of 0.9 wt% PC‐rGO. The composites incorporated with GO or AA‐rGO (without PC) have randomly distributed GO structures and apparent rGO agglomeration, resulting in a weaker mechanical property. The dispersibility, degree of defects, distribution state of graphene, and interactions with the polymer matrix are directly related to the final mechanical performance. This new approach to mechanically enhance graphene‐embedded PVA composites provides the possibility for large‐scale production of graphene‐reinforced composite materials. Abstract : A graphene/poly(vinyl alcohol) mechanically reinforced film with a layered structure is prepared by proanthocyanin grafting. As a nanofiller, graphene oxide is randomly distributed. Attributed to the grafting effect of proanthocyanin at the interface, the layered distribution exhibits better mechanical properties after modification. This green synthesis method is promising for large‐scale production of horizontally arranged, mechanically reinforced graphene composites.