SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOCOMPOSITES MADE OF GRAPHENE OXIDE AND POLYMERIC HYDROGELS

YESICA PEREYRA; HORACIO SALAVAGIONE; RUSBEL CONEO RODRIGUEZ; DIEGO ACEVEDO; BARBERO

termas del chillan

Taller; segundo taller latinoamericano de compuestos de carbon; 2016

A new hydrogel nanocomposites incorporating graphene oxide (OG) in the polymer network. Not only nanocomposites of homopolymers from N-isopropyl acrylamide and acrylamide but also from acrylamide and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) copolymers with 1%, 5% and 10% molar ratios were produced. The nanocomposites were synthesized in one single step dispersing the OG in the monomers solution and allowing the polymerization start by the incorporation of a redox initiator. The texture of the nanocomposites was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images showed that the surface was very compact, indicating that GO sheets were dispersed homogeneously in the polymer matrix. The new materials were characterized analysing the swelling and the elasticity module. Experiments demonstrated that the OG inside of the polymer network dismissed the swelling values. The incorporation of OG clearly increased the elasticity module, for all of the nanocomposites synthesized. The nanocomposites conductivity versus the compression force was evaluated. The conductivity increased while the compression force was increased until to get a maximum value. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of the hydrogels were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. Typical voltammograms were produced by the nanocomposites, the rectangular shape of the CV curves at a high scan rate of 50 mV/s indicates that the electrical charge and discharge response is highly reversible.