Graphene Oxide Grafted Maleic Anhydride Vinyl Acetate Co-polymer and its Enhancement of Flame Retardance and UV-resistance of Retanned Leather

Maleic anhydride grafted graphene oxide (GOMA) monomerwas prepared by modifying the graphene oxide (GO) withhexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP), ethylenediamine(ETA) and maleic anhydride (MA). Then a polymeric retanningagent, abbreviated as poly(GOMA-MA-VA) was synthesizedf rom GOMA, MA and vinyl acetate (VA) byfree radical polymerization. The structures of GOMA andpoly(GOMA-MA-VA) were characterized by Fourier transforminfrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman and X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (XPS), simultaneously, the f lammability,UV-resistance as well as the thermal stability and mechanicalproperties of re-tanned leathers were also investigated. Resultsshow that GO grafted by polymer presents well dispersingstability and can penetrate into collagen fibers to form strongcombination with fibers. Furthermore, this novel multifunctionalretanning agent can efficiently improve the flame retardance,ultraviolet (UV) resistance, thermal stability and mechanicalproperties of resultant leather.