Amino-Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Lead to Successful Ring-Opening Polymerization of Poly(ε-caprolactone): Enhanced Interfacial Bonding and Optimized Mechanical Properties

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b03693
• Publication Date: 2015-05-07T17:28:59Z
• Authors: Eleftheria Roumeli; Dimitrios G. Papa...; Vasilios Tsanaktsis; Zoe Terzopoulou; Konstantinos Chri...; Apostolos Avgerop...; Dimitrios N. Biki...
• Keywords: Caprolactone; Surface Modification

In this work, the synthesis, structural characteristics, interfacial bonding, and mechanical properties of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanocomposites with small amounts (0.5, 1.0, 2.5 wt %) amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) prepared by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) are reported. This method allows creation a covalent-bonding zone on surface nanotubes, which leads to efficient debundling therefore satisfactory dispersion effective load transfer in nanocomposites. The high covalent grafting extent combined higher crystallinity provide basis for significant enhancement properties, was detected composites up 1 % f-MWCNTs. Increasing filler concentration encourages intrinsic aggregation forces, allow only minor efficiency poorer hence inferior performance. f-MWCNTs also cause improvement reaction PCL. Indeed, situ kinetics studies reveal decrease temperature, factor 30-40 °C, accelerated during initiation propagation drastically reduced activation energy.