Morphological, thermal, and solid‐state viscoelastic properties of thermoplastic polyester elastomer‐graphitic carbon nitride composites

TL;DR: The incorporation of graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanoparticles into thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) composites improves their thermal stability and reduces the friction coefficient and permanent deformation.

Abstract: In order to evaluate the effect of graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) incorporation on the physical properties of thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) composites using a comparative approach, the composite films were prepared by the solution mixing method and solvent evaporation methods. For this purpose, the g‐C3N4 nanoparticles were synthesized by direct thermal condensation reaction of melamine and characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, BET, and TGA, respectively. The diameters of the g‐C3N4 particles ranged from ∼90 to 480 nm and the g‐C3N4 exhibited a high thermal stability up to 570°C, which was attributed to the robust heptazine‐based structure. The morphology, structure, thermal stability, solid‐state viscoelastic behavior, and friction coefficient of the TPEE composites were evaluated depending on the composition. The results showed that the g‐C3N4 nanoparticles improved the thermal stability and reduced the friction coefficient of the TPEE films. It was also found that g‐C3N4 addition into the TPEE matrix significantly reduced the permanent deformation in the solid state. The findings indicate that low‐cost g‐C3N4 nanoparticles can be used as an effective additive to enhance the performance of TPEE films in various applications.