Elastomeric Coating of Exfoliated Graphite Nanoplatelets with Amine‐Terminated Poly(butadiene‐ co ‐acrylonitrile): Characterization and Its Epoxy Toughening Effect

In the present study, exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (EGN), which were prepared by means of microwave and ultrasonic processes from graphite intercalation compounds, were coated with a liquid rubber amine‐terminated poly(butadiene‐ co ‐acrylonitrile) (ATBN) at various concentrations via ultrasonic and deep‐freezing methods. The presence of ATBN coating on EGN particles was characterized by using multiple analytical tools such as X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, elemental analysis, X‐ray diffractometer, thermogravimetric analyzer, and scanning electron microscope. The level of ATBN coating of the EGN particles strongly depended on the coating concentration, and it was clearly demonstrated. The characterization results were consistent with each other, indicating that the elastomeric coating of EGN with ATBN was performed successfully. The 1 wt% EGN coated with 10 wt% ATBN incorporated into epoxy increased the toughness of epoxy by 18%. It turns out that the elastomeric coating of EGN with ATBN effectively contributed to toughen epoxy with a very small amount of 0.1 wt% ATBN compared to the epoxy.