Strong and conductive reduced graphene oxide/polyester resin composite films with improved mechanical strength, thermal stability and its antibacterial activity

In this work, we report a simple method of preparation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) based unsaturated polyester (PE) resin nanocomposite. The synthesized samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile strength measurements. The SEM analyses revealed good dispersion as well as the interaction of rGO with the matrix. The composite exhibited significant improvement in mechanical properties at a low rGO loading. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of the composites increased by 123% and 87% respectively at 3 wt.% loading of the rGO. The thermal property of the PE resin was also improved with the incorporation of rGO in the composite. Moreover, the composite film showed a higher value of electrical conductivity (3.7 × 10−4 S/cm) compared to that of neat resin. The PE/rGO nanocomposites displayed good antimicrobial activity against a number of bacteria.