BisGMA-polyvinylpyrrolidone blend based nanocomposites reinforced with chitosan grafted f-multiwalled carbon nanotubes

• The present work focuses on the development and study of properties of bisphenol-A glycidyldimethacrylate (BisGMA)/polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) blend based nanocomposites using chitosan grafted functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CS/f-MWCNTs) as reinforcement/nanofiller.
• In addition, nanocomposites filled with 2 wt% raw MWCNTs and f-MWCNTs have also been fabricated and their properties studied in detail. A comparative study has also been made with the nanocomposite with 2 wt% CS/f-MWCNTs. The results indicate improved properties of the nanocomposite with 2 wt% CS/f-MWCNTs proving it to be a more efficient nanofiller. It has then been used in different compositions to study its effect on the various properties and the optimum content has been suggested.
• The effect of CS/f-MWCNTs content on the mechanical, dynamic mechanical, thermal, electrical, corrosive and swelling properties of the nanocomposites has been investigated and results reported.
• The results reveal that CS/f-MWCNTs act as potential reinforcement/nanofiller in BisGMA/PVP blend based nanocomposites. We report here that the nanocomposites exhibit improved mechanical, dynamic mechanical, thermal and electrical properties with increased addition of CS/f-MWCNTs compared to the virgin blend. Moreover, desirable results are obtained at 5 wt% of nanofiller loading beyond which the properties deteriorate due to particle agglomeration. The nanocomposites are also negligibly affected in corrosion and solvent based environments.
• Thus, the present investigation has come up with the successful and cost effective fabrication of BisGMA/PVP blend based nanocomposites with optimum reinforcement/nanofiller (CS/f-MWCNTs) content that can be used in a wide range of structural, thermal and electrical projects, compatible with various corrosive and solvent based environments. It is also durable from the mechanical point of view.

In this work, initially a non-destroyable surface grafting of acid functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) with biopolymer chitosan (CS) was carried out using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent via the controlled covalent deposition method which was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Then, BisGMA (bisphenol-A glycidyldimethacrylate)-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) blend was prepared (50:50 wt%) by a simple sonication method. The CS grafted f-MWCNTs (CS/f-MWCNTs) were finally dispersed in BisGMA-PVP blend (BGP50) system in different compositions i.e. 0, 2, 5 and 7 wt% and pressed into molds for the fabrication of reinforced nanocomposites which were characterized by SEM. Nanocomposites reinforced with 2 wt% raw MWCNTs and acid f-MWCNTs were also fabricated and their properties were studied in detail. The results of comparative study report lower values of the investigated properties in nanocomposites with 2 wt% raw and f-MWCNTs than the one with 2 wt% CS/f-MWCNTs proving it to be a better reinforcing nanofiller. Further, the mechanical behavior of the nanocomposites with various CS/f-MWCNTs content showed a dramatic increase in Young’s Modulus, tensile strength, impact strength and hardness along with improved dynamic mechanical, thermal and electrical properties at 5 wt% content of CS/f-MWCNTs. The addition of CS/f-MWCNTs also resulted in reduced corrosion and swelling properties. Thus, the fabricated nanocomposites with optimum nanofiller content could serve as low cost and light weight structural, thermal and electrical materials compatible in various corrosive and solvent based environments.

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