Preparation and characterization of silanized graphene oxide based polyacrylate composites in situ copolymerization

In the present work, graphene oxide (GO) was initially prepared by the modified Hummers' method and then surface modification with 3-Methacryloxypropyltrimeth- oxysilane (MPS) was carried out. The silanized GO based polyacrylate (PA) composite emulsion was fabricated via in situ copolymerization. The covalent bonds formed between GO and PA matrix were proposed to improve the dispersion of MPS-GO in composites. FTIR spectra, Raman spectra, XPS and XRD data confirmed that oxidation and modification were occurred, and oxygen-containing functional groups and CC groups were introduced on the side of GO, respectively. Two kinds of structures were observed in composite latexes, and the average diameter of composite latexes (107 nm) was larger than that of PA latexes (87 nm). FTIR spectra also disclosed that reactive MPS-GO had already successfully copolymerized with the PA matrix. AFM images demonstrated that wrinkled GO nanosheets were homogeneously dispersed and incorporated into the PA matrix. The water contact angle (WCA) was found increasing as the addition of MPS-GO, although the composite films exhibited obvious hydrophilicity with increasing the content of MPS-GO.