Polymer/graphite nanocomposites: Effect of reducing the functional groups of graphite oxide on water barrier properties

Water barrier properties (i.e., water resistance) of poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate)/graphite oxide (poly(St-co-BA)/GO) nanocomposites were studied using hydrophobicity and permeability analysis. Poly(St-co-BA)/GO nanocomposite latices were obtained using the miniemulsion polymerization technique. The hydrophobicity of the synthesized nanocomposites was studied using contact angle measurements, while water permeability was obtained by measuring the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR). The nanocomposites were treated with hydrazine hydrate in order to reduce the functional groups on graphite oxide (GO). The focus was on determining the effect of reducing the functional groups of GO on the water barrier properties of its polymer nanocomposites. In general, the nanolayered graphene platelets in GO and RGO resulted in lower water permeation in the final films compared to pure polymer. However, results showed that nanocomposites containing the reduced-GO (RGO) had better water resistance and barrier properties compared to those made with unreduced GO (i.e., as-prepared GO). The nanocomposites containing RGO had higher hydrophobicity and lower water uptake and MVTR compared to those made with as-prepared GO, resulting in better barrier performance. This was attributed to the high hydrophobic nature of the RGO, which exhibited lower water solubility that resulted in films with lower MVTR values compared to those made with as-prepared GO.