Design and manufacturing of graphene based nano composites

Nanocomposites reinforced by graphene based materials even at very low loadings have shown great influence on mechanical performance, thermal, electrical conductivity and flame retardancy in comparison of unmodified polymers. Instead of graphene’s superior properties, it is important to achieve pilot production of graphene and provide its transition from lab to industrial scale production. It is also possible to preserve the characteristic properties of thermoplastic polymers and tune final properties of their composites by choosing proper reinforcing agent and controlling surface chemistry of graphene sheets, providing better dispersion of graphene sheets into the matrix and the compatibility of reinforcement with the chosen matrix. In the present work, graphene produced from different sources will be used for compounding and core-shell electrospinning for the production of high performance composites. The chosen thermoplastic polymers will be compounded with graphene materials by thermokinetic mixing in a short time at different graphene/polymer ratios to attain better performance in mechanical and thermal properties of nanocomposites. Also, graphene material will be integrated in electrospun fibers to desing new composite structures to be used in the fabrication of structural composites. The project is mostly focused on the industrilization of graphene in high technological applications. The project will be conducted in Sabancı University-Kordsa Composite Technologies Center of Excellence in Teknopark Istanbul.