Synthesis of Polymer Nanocomposites Reinforced with Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Since the beginning of the new millennium, the concept of "3D" has firmly entered our daily life. 3D printing technologies open up new possibilities in creativity, science, technology and everyday life. A 3D printer, or three-dimensional printing machine, is a unique modern tool with which we can print both small and large objects. In 3D printing technology, a digital model of the structure of the object is initially created in the computer, which interacts with the printer and starts forming the product layer by layer as a result of the corresponding command. The advantages of 3D printing compared to conventional printing are high speed, simplicity and relatively low cost. That is why this work deals with the synthesis of polymer nanocomposites reinforced with graphene oxide, where polydimethylsiloxane is used as a matrix. First, graphene oxide was synthesized by the modified Hammers’ method and mixed with polydimethylsiloxane at different percentage concentrations. Polydimethylsiloxane was dissolved in chloroform and mixed by ultrasonication for homogenous dispersion of graphene oxide plates. We removed solvent from the resulting mixture and made 1 mm thick polymer filaments using an extruder. Here is important to select the temperature regime and relevant solvent for the production of polymer nanocomposites in order to obtain final products with desired properties