Facile and green preparation of biobased graphene oxide/furan resin nanocomposites with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties

A facile and green approach was developed to prepare biobased graphene oxide (GO)/furan resin nanocomposites by directly transferring GO from water dispersion into furan resin. The structure of nanocomposites was characterized by Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A good dispersion of GO within furan resin was observed. Performance investigation revealed there was a significant improvement in thermal, mechanical and chemical resistance properties of biobased GO/furan resin nanocomposites when a low content of GO was introduced into neat furan resin. The nanocomposite with a low content of 0.05 wt% GO showed better improvement in tensile strength and Young's modulus of 72% and 282%, respectively. Thermal analysis of the nanocomposites also illustrated an enhancement in thermal stability. The obtained biobased GO/furan resin showed good chemical resistance.