Enhancement of the mechanical properties of PEBAX graphene nanocomposite using supercritical fluid assisted extrusion polymer processing technique

Medical tubing used in minimally invasive devices presents a number of design considerations depending on the material used, design requirements (such as sufficient stiffness, flexibility and biocompatibility) and processing conditions. Currently, manufacturing industries adopt co-extrusion systems to meet design specifications, by using multilayer configuration leading to higher cost per device and increased complexity. This paper investigates the mechanical performance of nanocomposites using supercritical carbon dioxide assisted polymer processing technique. The use of innovative medical compounds such as PEBAX graphene nanocomposites have resulted in measurable improvements in mechanical properties. This study also presents the effect of supercritical carbon dioxide on the mechanical and physical properties of the polymer matrix. The mechanical properties have been investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and mechanical tensile test, where sufficient reinforcement was observed depending on the composition of graphene within PEBAX matrix. ATR-FTIR was used to further analyze the effect of supercritical carbon dioxide and interactions within the polymer composite matrix.