Rheological properties of Poly(ethylene terephtalate)/graphene oxide nanocomposites

• Grant number: 19/17452-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: November 11, 2019
• End date: March 10, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Guilhermino José Macêdo Fechine
• Grantee: Gabriel Matheus Pinto
• Supervisor: João Manuel Luis Lopes Maia
• Host Institution: Instituto Mackenzie de Pesquisas em Grafeno e Nanotecnologias (Mackgraphe). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Case Western Reserve University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/05440-2 - Mechanical and barrier properties of polymer nanocomposites based on poly(ethyelene terephthalate) - PET and graphene oxide-GO, BP.MS

Abstract

The rheological behavior of polymer nanocomposites has attracted considerable attention because most industrial processing and molding techniques involve the flow of the material in the molten state. It is well established that rheometry is a powerful tool to investigate nanocomposite microstructures, and several studies have been carried out with the aim to identify changes in the viscoelastic behavior of polymers by the presence of two-dimensional nanofillers. However, under actual processing conditions, the melt is subjected to an inhomogeneous tensile field, which means that the parallel plate (rotational and oscillatory static shear) techniques are not sufficient for a complete understanding of the nanocomposite's flow behavior. Complementary techniques to that of parallel plates are the capillary and extensional rheometry, which infer about the behavior of the material in the molten state when subjected to dynamic and elongational shear, respectively. Thus, the importance of using different rheometric techniques to better understand the viscoelasticity of polymer nanocomposites is confirmed by studies in literature that show very different responses to each of the tests. Here, the rheological behavior study of the polyethylene terephthalate/graphene oxide (PET/GO) system using static and rotational shear strategies, as well as extensional and capillary rheometry, is being proposed. This larger study was selected because the application of this nanocomposite is directed to the rigid packaging industry, specifically, bottles obtained by blow molding. The choice of Professor Maia's research group is directly linked to the high knowledge of these techniques by his group, especially extensional and capillary rheometry. The complete rheological characterization will greatly aid the final conclusions of the master's thesis, enabling a great quality leap in both scientific and technological terms. (AU)