title: Synthesis and characterization of the in situ bulk polymerization of PMMA containing graphene sheets using microwave irradiation.
abstract: Polymethylmethacrylate-graphene (PMMA/RGO) nanocomposites were prepared via in situ bulk polymerization using two different preparation techniques. In the first approach, a mixture of graphite oxide (GO) and methylmethacrylate monomers (MMA) were polymerized using a bulk polymerization method with a free radical initiator. After the addition of the reducing agent hydrazine hydrate (HH), the product was reduced via microwave irradiation (MWI) to obtain R-(GO-PMMA) composites. In the second approach, a mixture of graphite sheets (RGO) and MMA monomers were polymerized using a bulk polymerization method with a free radical initiator to obtain RGO-(PMMA) composites. The composites were characterized by FTIR, (1)H-NMR and Raman spectroscopy and XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA and DSC. The results indicate that the composite obtained using the first approach, which involved MWI, had a better morphology and dispersion with enhanced thermal stability compared with the composites prepared without MWI.
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology, National Nanotechnology Research Center, PO Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aldosari
authors.forename: Ali A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Othman
authors.forename: Edreese H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Alsharaeh
mesh_terms: D006108:Graphite / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008872:Microwaves; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D006108:Graphite; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate