Barrier properties of polycaprolactam composites melt mixed with carbon-based particles: effect of the kind of particle
Fecha
20162016
Institución
Resumen
The aim of the food packaging industry is to generate tools to
bring a product to the consumer in good condition. For food, this
means preserving its physical, chemical, biological and nutritional
characteristics. Therefore, the materials used in food packaging
should have mechanical properties and physicochemical, such as
low permeability to gases (oxygen and/or water vapor).1 Thanks to
their outstanding properties, polymers emerge as a good
alternative for use in this field, but do not cover all requirements.
Therefore, polymeric nanocomposites are developed by
incorporating nano-sized particles of different polymer matrices.
Nanoparticles based on modified graphite, such as graphene and
its derivatives, have emerged as fillers with the potential to
replace expensive carbon nanotubes (CNTs).2 Graphene has
extraordinary mechanical and electrical properties. These
properties along with its extremely high specific surface area
(around 2630 m2g−1) and impermeability to gases, show the great
potential of either graphene or its derivatives, as fillers for
improving the properties of polymers, for instance, barrier
properties.3 The aim of this work is to observe how the presence
of carbon based nanostructures such as CNTs, and thermally
reduced graphene oxide (TrGO) affects the barrier properties of
the polycaprolactam (PA6) nanocomposites compared to the
original matrix.