Development of in situ generated graphene/benzoxazine‐epoxy nanocomposite for capacitor applications

We report an effective way to develop thermally strong and multifunctional cardanol‐based nanocomposite using graphene as nanofiller. New benzoxazine monomer was synthesized by using bio‐product cardanol, aniline, and formaldehyde. Benzoxazine‐graphene nanocomposites (pba‐g) were prepared by in situ polymerization. The pba‐g precursor was copolymerized with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A at different loading level to make copolymer. Benzoxazine monomer was characterized by Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR) and NMR. Graphene was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM. Benzoxazine‐graphene/epoxy (epba‐g) nanocomposites have been characterized by FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis, and inductance capacitance and resistance meter. Both the thermal and electrical properties of epba‐g were significantly improved compared with those of pure epoxy (ep) matrix. The dielectric constant of epba‐g was 11, which was four times higher than that of pure epoxy matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1–7, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers