Preparation and characterization of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/Thermally Expanded Graphite (TEG) nanocomposites

In this study, TEG-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanocomposites were prepared. The structural properties of the PTFE/TEG composites were then investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Subsequently, the thermal stability, thermal resistance of the composites were studied through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The XRD results allowed to report a high degree of dispersion of the TEG inside of the PTFE matrix. Moreover, milling at high temperature was found to enhance the dispersion of the TEG inside of the polymer matrix. Furthermore, the results revealed an increase of the glass-transition temperature when using an increased concentration of TEG. This result confirms that the degradation of the TEG/PTFE nanocomposite occurs at a higher temperature with a greater TEG loading. These finds give an indication of the potential of TEG to improve the thermal properties and durability of PTFE, for instance with application in the field of aeronautics. [Display omitted]