High Performance Compatibilized Polyamide Composites Containing Graphene Nanoplatelets and Recycled Glass Fibers

ABSTRACT Polyamide‐based composites reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) have exceptional potential as high‐performance functional materials. Non‐covalent modification with a trimellitic anhydride (TMA) coating agent improved the compatibility of the GNPs with polyamide 6,12 (PA), owing to the interactions between the anhydride moiety and the amide groups. The resulting well‐dispersed TMA‐GNPs promote higher crystallinity, with flexural modulus and impact strength improvements of up to 196% and 119%, reaching maximum values of 6.1 GPa and 80 J/m respectively. Maximum thermal and electrical conductivities of 3.3 W/m·K and 0.23 S/m, respectively, with a relative permittivity of 12.5 and maximum loss tangent value of 0.15 recorded at 30 GHz were achieved, rendering these materials suitable for microwave applications. Composites containing recycled glass fibers (rGFs) and a hybrid composite containing 10 wt.% rGF and 10 wt.% TMA‐GNP were also prepared and compared to the PA/TMA‐GNP composites. The GNPs coated the rGF, thus altering the interface with the PA matrix. The hybrid composite demonstrated comparable mechanical properties to the 20 wt.% TMA‐GNP composites, suggesting that this approach may provide an effective means to reduce the cost, while including recycled materials.