Preparation investigation of photocured printing shape memory graphene/epoxy resin composites

Abstract To investigate the mechanism by which graphene oxide (GO) affects the performance of shape memory polymer (SMP) composites prepared by 4D printing, this study examined the effects of adding GO and adjusting the ratios of HDDA and TPO, as well as the 4D printing time and printing power, on the thermal conductivity and shape memory performance of SMP. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization, heat transfer experiments, and shape memory experiments were conducted to verify the correlation between material composition, process parameters, and shape memory performance. The results showed that the addition of GO significantly enhanced the thermal conductivity of the shape memory GO/epoxy resin (GO/EP) composites. When the sample parameters were set to a GO content of 0.06 wt%, an HDDA ratio of 80 wt%, a TPO ratio of 4 wt%, a printing time of 15 s, and a printing power of 40 W, the performance of SMP reached its optimal level. The thermal conductivity increased to 0.1708 W/(m·K), representing a 93% improvement compared to SMP without GO. The shape memory fixation rate and shape memory recovery rate of the samples reached 91.50% and 96.67%, respectively. In 15 repeated experiments, the variance between samples was less than 1, indicating that the 4D‐printed shape memory GO/EP composites not only significantly enhanced the thermal conductivity of SMP but also retained high shape memory performance. Highlights The photocured printing shape memory GO/EP composites were prepared. The effect of process parameters on thermo‐mechanical property was studied. The thermal conductivity was improved by up to 93%. The shape memory retention and recovery rate reached 92.67% and 95.50%.