Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites
In this study, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanocomposites were prepared by employing in situ polymerization and solution blending methods. In terms of mechanical properties, RGO loading increased the Young’s modulus but decreased the elongation at break for RGO/PMMA n...
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doaj-f792db39119f48dbb9719c86bd5aeb2c2020-11-25T01:08:04ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602017-06-019623010.3390/polym9060230polym9060230Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA NanocompositesShin Yiing Kee0Yamuna Munusamy1Kok Seng Ong2Koon Chun Lai3Department of PetroChemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, MalaysiaDepartment of PetroChemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, MalaysiaDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, MalaysiaDepartment of PetroChemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, MalaysiaIn this study, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanocomposites were prepared by employing in situ polymerization and solution blending methods. In terms of mechanical properties, RGO loading increased the Young’s modulus but decreased the elongation at break for RGO/PMMA nanocomposites. Tensile strength for solution blended RGO/PMMA nanocomposites increased after adding 0.5 wt % RGO, which was attributed to the good dispersion of RGO in the nanocomposites as evidenced from SEM and TEM. Solar energy conversion efficiency measurement results showed that the optimum concentration of RGO in the RGO/PMMA nanocomposites was found to be 1.0 wt % in order to achieve the maximum solar energy conversion efficiency of 25%. In the present study, the solution blended nanocomposites exhibited better overall properties than in situ polymerized nanocomposites owing to the better dispersion of RGO in solution blending. These findings would contribute to future work in search of higher conversion efficiency using nanocomposites.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/6/230RGOPMMAsolar energy conversion efficiencymorphologysynthesis method |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Shin Yiing Kee Yamuna Munusamy Kok Seng Ong Koon Chun Lai |
spellingShingle |
Shin Yiing Kee Yamuna Munusamy Kok Seng Ong Koon Chun Lai Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites Polymers RGO PMMA solar energy conversion efficiency morphology synthesis method |
author_facet |
Shin Yiing Kee Yamuna Munusamy Kok Seng Ong Koon Chun Lai |
author_sort |
Shin Yiing Kee |
title |
Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites |
title_short |
Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites |
title_full |
Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites |
title_fullStr |
Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites |
title_sort |
effect of preparation methods on the tensile, morphology and solar energy conversion efficiency of rgo/pmma nanocomposites |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Polymers |
issn |
2073-4360 |
publishDate |
2017-06-01 |
description |
In this study, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanocomposites were prepared by employing in situ polymerization and solution blending methods. In terms of mechanical properties, RGO loading increased the Young’s modulus but decreased the elongation at break for RGO/PMMA nanocomposites. Tensile strength for solution blended RGO/PMMA nanocomposites increased after adding 0.5 wt % RGO, which was attributed to the good dispersion of RGO in the nanocomposites as evidenced from SEM and TEM. Solar energy conversion efficiency measurement results showed that the optimum concentration of RGO in the RGO/PMMA nanocomposites was found to be 1.0 wt % in order to achieve the maximum solar energy conversion efficiency of 25%. In the present study, the solution blended nanocomposites exhibited better overall properties than in situ polymerized nanocomposites owing to the better dispersion of RGO in solution blending. These findings would contribute to future work in search of higher conversion efficiency using nanocomposites. |
topic |
RGO PMMA solar energy conversion efficiency morphology synthesis method |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/6/230 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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