Fabrication of graphite/MgO-reinforced poly(vinyl chloride) composites by mechanical activation with enhanced thermal properties

Abstract

In this study, a mechanical activation (MA) approach was developed to fabricate graphite/MgO-reinforced poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) composites with superior thermal properties. The composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analysis. SEM results revealed uniformly dispersed graphite and MgO flakes in a PVC matrix and the successful formation of a thermal network by MA, which led to enhanced thermal conductivity. DSC and TGA results of the composites showed enhancement in the glass transition temperature (Tg) from 82.81 °C to 88.60 °C and decomposition temperature from 287.61 °C to 305.59 °C as compared to pristine PVC. The thermal conductivity of the graphite/MgO/PVC composite at optimum conditions was 0.8791 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, which was 6.27 times higher than that of pristine PVC. The mechanical properties such as the tensile strength and bending strength of graphite/MgO/PVC composites were also augmented as compared to pristine PVC, graphite/PVC and MgO/PVC composites. Due to the enhanced thermal properties of the newly designed graphite/MgO/PVC composites, they have potential as alternatives to classical PVC-based materials in thermal and many other target field-based applications.