Enhanced UV photo-stabilization of Nylon 6 filament with reduced graphene oxide/polyurethane nanocomposite Inks

Purpose Nylon 6 filaments have weak light and heat resistance in terms of stability, which restrict its application in engineering field. The purpose of this paper is to prepare a new photo-stabilization functional nanocomposite inks by using graphene nanosheet as UV light-resisting functional materials incorporated with polyurethane. Design/methodology/approach Sunlight-resisting functional nylon filaments were produced by the continuous solution dip coating technology, through which the functional inks was coated on the surface of nylon 6 filament. The surface morphology of the coated filaments was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and the graphene/polyurethane nanocomposite inks as the coating agent was confirmed and well dispersed on the fiber’s surface. Findings Under UV exposure, the strength loss rate of the graphene-modified nylon filaments was less than 50 percent, while that of the control nylon filament was over 85 percent, which indicated that graphene remarkably enhanced the light-resistant property of nylon. Besides, graphene/polyurethane-coated Nylon 6 filaments exhibited reasonable electrical properties and the electrical conductivity could reach 10–4 S/cm. Originality/value Graphene inks was first proposed as the UV photo-stabilization in this paper.