Effect of graphene oxide loading on the rheological properties of Elium® resin

Thermoplastic polymers have emerged as compelling alternatives to conventional thermosets in response to increasing environmental concerns, primarily due to their superior recyclability and enhanced sustainability characteristics. Among them, Elium® resin is particularly promising because it can be polymerized at room temperature using conventional liquid molding processes, such as resin transfer molding or vacuum infusion, and provides mechanical performance comparable to that of thermoset systems. In this study, the rheological behavior of Elium® resin and Elium®/graphene oxide (GO)/solvent mixtures was systematically examined to assess the effects of varying solvent content and GO loading. First, the baseline viscosity of neat Elium® resin was evaluated to establish the processing requirements for liquid molding. Subsequently, the effect of GO addition on viscosity, along with the viscosity-reducing capability of acetone as a solvent, was quantitatively analyzed to identify the primary factors governing the viscosity behavior. The results indicate that the addition of GO consistently increased the viscosity, whereas the incorporation of acetone effectively reduced it. Moreover, the sensitivity of viscosity to GO loading decreased as the solvent ratio increased, indicating that the viscosity-reducing efficiency did not scale linearly with the solvent content. These findings offer valuable insights into the optimization of resin formulations to enhance processability and nanoparticle dispersion in Elium®-based nanocomposites.