title: In Situ Exfoliation of Graphene in Epoxy Resins: A Facile Strategy to Efficient and Large Scale Graphene Nanocomposites.
abstract: Any industrial application aiming at exploiting the exceptional properties of graphene in composites or coatings is currently limited by finding viable production methods for large volumes of good quality and high aspect ratio graphene, few layer graphene (FLG) or graphite nanoplatelets (GNP). Final properties of the resulting composites are inherently related to those of the initial graphitic nanoparticles, which typically depend on time-consuming, resource-demanding and/or low yield liquid exfoliation processes. In addition, efficient dispersion of these nanofillers in polymer matrices, and their interaction, is of paramount importance. Here we show that it is possible to produce graphene/epoxy nanocomposites in situ and with high conversion of graphite to FLG/GNP through the process of three-roll milling (TRM), without the need of any additives, solvents, compatibilisers or chemical treatments. This readily scalable production method allows for more than 5 wt % of natural graphite (NG) to be directly exfoliated into FLG/GNP and dispersed in an epoxy resin. The in situ exfoliated graphitic nanoplatelets, with average aspect ratios of 300-1000 and thicknesses of 5-17 nm, were demonstrated to conferee exceptional enhancements in mechanical and electrical properties to the epoxy resin. The above conclusions are discussed and interpreted in terms of simple analytical models.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Nanoforce Technology Ltd. , Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, U.K.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Nanoforce Technology Ltd. , Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, U.K.
authors.forename: Harshit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Porwal
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Nanoforce Technology Ltd. , Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, U.K.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Picot
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santagiuliana
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Nanoforce Technology Ltd. , Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, U.K.
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Laboratory of Bio-inspired & Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento , Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy.|Center for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler , Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Povo, Trento Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Pugno
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Nanoforce Technology Ltd. , Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, U.K.
authors.forename: Ton
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peijs
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London , Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, U.K.|Nanoforce Technology Ltd. , Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, U.K.
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bilotti
keywords: epoxy resins; graphene; in situ exfoliation; nanocomposites; three roll mill