Nanocomposites of epoxy-based shape memory polymer and thermally reduced graphite oxide: Mechanical, thermal and shape memory characterizations

Low mechanical strength and low thermal stability of pristine epoxy-based shape memory polymer (ESMP) hinder its practical applications, and the usually used reinforcing fillers are expensive. In this study, thermally reduced graphite oxide (TrGO) was used as a low-cost but efficient reinforcement phase for ESMP. Compared with pristine ESMP, an increase of 41%-71% for Young's modulus and 44%-64% for tensile strength were observed for the TrGO/ESMP composites containing only 1-3 wt.% TrGO. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that 2 wt.% TrGO can improve the thermal stability of ESMP significantly. The thermal conductivity of TrGO/ESMP composites increased almost linearly with increasing TrGO content. Moreover, The TrGO/ESMP composite containing 2 wt.% TrGO can decrease the shape recovery time of ESMP down to 1 min as a result of enhanced thermal conductivity. The TrGO/ESMP composites with such improved properties may have great potential in smart systems.