Polymer-graphene composites by photocuring of a system containing benzophenone macromer

Abstract

Formulations incorporating benzophenone oligodimethacrylate (BP-DMA) and graphene structures (graphene oxide/GO, reduced graphene oxide/RGO) were exposed to UV/vis irradiation or femtosecond laser beam to achieve hybrid composites. All structures were characterized through various methods including 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopies, optical microscopy, TEM, SEM/EDAX analysis, and DSC/XRD techniques. The photopolymerization of BP-DMA in monomer compositions with and without GO or RGO was investigated by photo-DSC and FTIR methods for determining the polymerization kinetic parameters. The photopolymerization experiments revealed a good photoreactivity of the monomers (degree of conversion: 65-77%) after 1 minute exposure to UV/vis irradiation and the addition of graphene (up to 0.5%), whereas the polymerization rate varied between 0.14 and 0.1 s-1. Moreover, two-photon photopolymerization of the formulations in presence/absence of GO or RGO nanosheets (0.1 wt.%) generated 2D microstructures by direct laser writing procedure. Also, the morphology and the properties of composites materials were analyzed.

Keywords

• graphene-polymer composites
• photocuring
• two photon polymerization
• benzophenone macromer