Carbon fibers of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) type were coated with nickel nanoparticles using a chemical reduction method in alkaline hydrazine bath. The carbon fibers were firstly heated at 400 °C and then chemically treated in hydrochloric acid followed by nitric acid to clean, remove any foreign particles and functionalized its graphitic surfaces by introducing some functional groups. The functionalized carbon fibers were coated with nickel to produce 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposites. The uncoated heat treated and the nickel coated carbon fibers were investigated by SEM, EDS, FTIR and XRD to characterize the particle size, morphology, chemical composition and the crystal structure of the investigated materials. The nickel nanoparticles were successfully deposited as homogeneous layer on the surface of the functionalized carbon fibers. Also, the deposited nickel nanoparticles have quazi-spherical shape and 128–225 nm median particle size. The untreated and the heat treated as well as the 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposite particles were further reinforced in ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymer separately by melt blending technique to prepare 0.5 wt% Cf-EVA polymer matrix stretchable conductive composites. The microstructures of the prepared polymer composites were investigated using optical microscope. The carbon fibers as well as the nickel coated one were homogenously distributed in the polymer matrix. The obtained samples were analyzed by TGA. The addition of the nickel coated carbon fibers to the EVA was improved the thermal stability by increasing the thermal decomposition temperature Tmax1 and Tmax2. The electrical and the mechanical properties of the obtained 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposites as well as the 0.5 wt% Cf-EVA stretchable conductive composites were evaluated by measuring its thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), electrical resistivity by four probe method and tensile properties. The electrical resistivity of the fibers was decreased by coating with nickel and the 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposites has lower resistivity than the carbon fibers itself. Also, the electrical resistivity of the neat EVA is decreased from 3.2 × 1010 to 1.4 × 104 Ω cm in case of the reinforced 0.5 wt% Cf/Ni-EVA polymer composite. However, the ultimate elongation and the Young’s modulus of the neat EVA polymer was increased by reinforcing with carbon fibers and its nickel composite.

Graphene oxide (GO) is an intriguing two-dimensional nanosheet, a highly oxidized graphene sheet. Due to its various oxygen-containing polar functional groups, graphene oxide shows high CO2 sorption properties, and also thin-film GO membranes exhibit good CO2 separation properties, particularly in the presence of water molecules. Recently, GO nanosheets have been incorporated into polymer membranes, in the form of mixed-matrix membranes, to expect the synergistic effect of GO and polymer matrix. Here, we prepared novel GO/polymer membranes via crosslinking reactions between polar groups on basal plane of GO and bi-functional crosslinking agents, and then conducted the gas permeation measurements to see the possible enhancement for permeability/selectivity performance.

Graphene oxide (GO), a highly oxidized graphene sheet, is a distinguished 2-D nanosheet. GO membranes exhibit good CO2 separation properties due to its various polar functional groups with oxygen resulting in high CO2 sorption properties. Recently, GO nanosheets have been incorporated into polymer membranes expecting the synergistic effect. There is, however, little research on GO as a crosslinker even though it has high potential due to available functional groups for further reaction. Here, we prepared GO/polymer membranes by crosslinking reactions between polar groups of GO and bi-functional polymer matrix at different temperatures. Optimum crosslinking condition was found by analyzing gas transport, chemical properties of samples. Degree of crosslinking in GO/polymer nanocomposites affected gas transport behavior.

원자전달 라디칼 중합을 이용하여 poly(styrene sulfonic acid) 47 wt%를 가진 poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene)-g-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (P(VDF-co-CTFE)-g-PSSA) 가지형 공중합체를 합성하였다. 티타늄 아이소프로폭사이드(TTIP)와 가지형 공중합체를 졸-겔 공정을 통하여 TiO2/가지형 공중합체 복합막을 제조하였다. TTIP는 가지형 공중합체의 친수성을 가진 PSSA 영역에만 선택적으로 결합하였으며 그곳에 TiO2 나노 입자가 형성되어 성장하였다. 이와 같은 결과를 적외선과 자외선 분광학으로 확인할 수 있다. 함수량과 이온 교환 능력 (IEC)는 TTIP의 함량에 따라 감소하였고 이것은 막이 가진 술폰산의 수가 감소하기 때문이었다. TTIP가 5 중량%일 때, 막의 기계적 강도는 증가하고 수소이온 전도도도 유지되었다.

Mechanical coating process was applied to form 89 %-hydrolyzed poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) onto boron carbide (B4C) nanopowder using one step high energy ball mill method. The polymer layer coated on the surface of B4C was changed to glass-like phase. The average particle size of core/shell structured B4C/PVA was about 50 nm. The core/shell structured B4C/PVA was formed by dry milling. However, the hydrolyzed PVA of 98~99% with high glass transition temperature (Tg) was rarely coated on the powder. The Tg of polymer materials was one of keys for guest polymer coating on to the host powder by solvent free milling.

고분자/층상실리케이트 나노복합체(polymer/layeres silicate nanocomposite, PLSNs) 필름은 보통 내부층을 나트륨과 같은 양이온을 이용한 이온교환을 통해 유기화된 clay로 만든 재료의 새로운 형태이다. 이것은 중합법, 용액법, 그리고 용융법과 같은 다양한 방법으로 제조할 수 있으며, 열경화성, 열가소성이나 탄성고분자와 같은 넓은 범위의 고분자를 기질로 사용할 수 있다. PLSNs 필름은 고분자 사슬이 일정한 간격으로 쌓여있는 실리케이트에 삽입하여 간격을 넓히는 삽입형과 각각의 실리케이트 층이 고분자 기질에 불균일하게 분산되어 형성하는 박리형 두 가지 형태의 구조를 얻을 수 있다. 이러한 새로운 분야의 재료는 보통 5 wt% 이하의 소량의 clay 함유만으로도 향상된 기계적, 열적 특성을 얻을 수 있다. 그리고 clay의 함유량이 증가할수록 기체 투과경로인 tortuosity가 증가하여 기체 투과도가 감소한다.