The surface modification
of graphene oxide (GO) determines the
interactions between GO and polymers, which possibly produces a significant
impact on the mechanical properties of polymer. Here, GO was first
modified with poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and triethylenetetramine
(TTA) through γ-ray radiation. Then, a tiny small amount (0.04%)
of the prepared modified GO was filled with a PET/ethylene-methyl
acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate random terpolymer (PET/ST2000) blend.
The morphological analyses on these filled PET blends confirmed that
the surface chemical structure of GO had a crucial impact on the mechanical
property of the blend. The chemical bonding between GO and ST2000
was more efficient in improving the dispersibility of GO and the compatibility
between PET and ST2000, leading to a 2.5-fold increase in the impact
strength, along with a slight increase in tensile strength. However,
the addition of reduced GO lacking polar groups caused fatal damage
in the mechanical property of the blend
