Fabrication and characterization of pla graphene oxide nanocomposites / Chong Jia Qi

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology

Final Year Report (Bachelor of Chemical Engineering Technology) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah - 2024

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Graphene oxide, with its remarkable mechanical and thermal properties, is of interest to the science and technology industry for incorporation into PLA to create biodegradable plastics. The research, motivated by environmental concerns, focuses on PLA-GO nanocomposites to develop sustainable materials with improved mechanical and thermal barrier properties, contributing to the advancement of biodegradable plastics. The objective of this research is to investigate the improvement in nanocomposite by incorporating GO nanofillers, aiming to create environmentally friendly and highperformance PLA-GO nanocomposites suitable for diverse applications. The potential of using Haake twin screw extruder in the fabrication of PLA-GO nanocomposites with different GO compositions such as 0 wt%, 2 wt%, 4 wt%, 6 wt%, 8 wt%, and 10 wt% and the use of hot and cold molding press to make the PLA-GO nanocomposites into a thin film. Later, a series of characterization and testing were carried out to determine the properties of the nanocomposites. The target of this study is to fabricate PLA-GO nanocomposites, conduct characterization studies, mechanical and thermal testing on the properties of nanocomposites to determine which composition of GO is the best in terms of decomposition rate and any improvement in the tensile strength. The presence of the resulting nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The FTIR result revealed the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups in the extruded graphene oxide. SEM was used to provide high-resolution, three-dimensional images of surfaces at the micro and nanoscale of the PLA-GO nanocomposites. Meanwhile, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal properties of PLA-GO nanocomposites. Lastly, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were tested by tensile test. Hence, the fabrication of PLA-GO nanocomposites via Haake twin screw extruder, the characterization, thermal properties, and tensile test on this nanocomposite were studied in this research work.