Characteristics of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) nanocomposites with thermally reduced graphene nanosheets

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester and is semicrystalline in nature. It has a wide range of engineering applications owing to its attractive combination of good processability and mechanical properties. PBS nanocomposites with graphene nanosheets were prepared by melt compounding. We report on their structure and their thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties. The thermal stability of the nanocomposite increased by 35°C compared with that of neat PBS. The crystallization and melting behavior of the PBS matrix in the presence of dispersed graphene nanosheets were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and polarised optical microscope. We also observed an interesting phenomenon in the PBS/graphene nanocomposites from our FTIR investigation. β‐form of PBS crystals are formed in the composite samples with 5 wt% graphene loading, which otherwise forms in pure PBS only under stress. We observed ∼12% modulus enhancement for 2 wt% PBS/graphene nanocomposites. The electrical conductivity increased to ∼10⁵‐fold for 5 wt% PBS/graphene nanocomposites. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E42–E48, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers