Mechanical and thermal properties of polylactide-grafted vapor-grown carbon nanofiber/polylactide nanocomposites

An effective approach was utilized to functionalize vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (VGCF) though covalent functionalization of polylactide (PLA) on the surface of the VGCF. 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate units were grafted onto VGCF through free radical polymerization and then reacted with l-lactic acid monomers by ring-opening polymerization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy were utilized to characterize the resulting PLA-g-VGCF. PLA/VGCF nanocomposites were prepared by melt compounding. Furthermore, effects of the interfacial attraction between PLA and VGCF on the mechanical properties and thermal conductivity were investigated. Consequently, the mechanical and thermal properties of integrated PLA-g-VGCF/PLA composites exhibited remarkable improvement, which were higher than those of pristine VGCF/PLA composites.