Noncovalently functionalized carbon fiber by grafted self-assembled graphene oxide and the synergistic effect on polymeric shape memory nanocomposites

This paper presents an effective approach to significantly improve the electrical properties and recovery performance of shape memory polymer (SMP) nanocomposites that are able for Joule heating triggered shape recovery. Reduced graphene oxide (GO) is self-assembled and grafted onto the carbon fibers to enhance the interfacial bonding with the SMP matrix via van der Waals and covalent crosslink, respectively. Experimental results verify that the electrical properties of SMP nanocomposites are significantly improved via a synergistic effect of GO and carbon fiber. The morphology and porous structure of GO on the carbon fiber are characterized by electron microscope and optical microscopes, respectively. Furthermore, the behavior of electro-activated recovery and the resultant temperature distribution within SMP nanocomposite are monitored and characterized. We demonstrate that this simple way is able to produce electro-activated SMP nanocomposites which are applicable for Joule heating at a lower electrical voltage.