Influence of Aminized Graphite Nanosheets on the Physical Properties of PMMA-based Nanocomposites

In this work, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was grafted onto amine treated graphite nanosheets ($NH_2$-GNs) and the surface characteristics and physical properties of the $NH_2$-GNs-g-PMMA films were investigated. The graft reaction of $NH_2$-GNs and PMMA was confirmed from the shift of the $N_{1S}$ peak, including amine oxygen and amide oxygen, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface characteristics of the $NH_2$-GNs-g-PMMA films were measured as a function of the $NH_2$-GN content using the contact angle method. It was revealed that the specific component of the surface free energy (${\gamma}s$) of the films was slightly increased as the $NH_2$-GN content increased. Also, the thermal and mechanical properties of the $NH_2$-GNs-g-PMMA films were enhanced with the addition of $NH_2$-GNs. This can be attributed to the chemical bonding caused by the graft reaction between the $NH_2$-GNs and the PMMA matrix.