Melt crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate): Comparing addition of graphene vs. carbon nanotubes

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)-based nanocomposites with graphene or multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared by melt mixing. Aspect ratio, Af, and interparticle distance, λ, of graphene in the nanocomposites were obtained from melt rheology and transmission electron microscopy respectively. λ of PET/graphene nanocomposites was much smaller than λ in PET/MWCNT. For PET/graphene with highest Af, λ became <1 μm at more than 0.5 wt% graphene. Non-isothermal crystallization behavior from the melt was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The crystallization temperatures suggest that the nucleation effect of graphene was stronger than that of MWCNT. The half crystallization time of PET/graphene became longer than PET/MWCNT with increasing graphene loading, suggesting that confinement by graphene suppressed the crystal growth rate. XRD analysis indicated that smaller crystals formed in PET/graphene than in PET/MWCNT. From Raman spectroscopy, the π–π interaction between PET and graphene was stronger than that between PET and MWCNT. This stronger interaction in PET/graphene appears to result in formation of crystals with higher perfection.