Graphene rubber nanocomposites

Figure 23.9 TEM images of (a) a graphene platy single layer and (b) an isoprene rubber nanocomposite containing nanographite.

Xiong, X., Wang, J., Jia, H., Fang, E., Ding, L. Structure, thermal conductivity, and thermal stabihty of bromobutyl rubber nanocomposites with ionic hquid modified graphene oxide. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 98, 2208-2214 (2013)... 

Rubber nanocomposites have attracted great interest for the past few years due to their unique physical and chemical properties [17]. The properties of rubber nanocomposites can be modified with various nanoparticles. There are a lot of types and shapes of the nanofillers like silica, Ti02, POSS, nanocrystals, other oxides (three-dimensional) carbon nanotubes, metallic fibers (two-dimensional) and clays, modified clays or graphene (one-dimensional). 

In this method, a solvent is chosen as a reaction medium in which the polymer (or pre-polymer) is soluble and the nanofillers are also well dispersed. Such polymer/prepolymer and dispersed filler are vigorously intermixed by mechanical stirring/ultrasonic vibration at a desired temperature followed by the evaporation of the solvent. A large number of silicone rubber nanocomposites have been prepared by this method, i.e., silicone foams filled with carbon nanotubes [123-127], graphite nanosheets/sfiicone rubber [128-130], graphene sheets/SR [131], MMT/SR [132], POSS/PDMS nanocomposite [133], LDH/SR [134,135]. 

NR composites and nanocomposites can be fabricated by three main techniques, namely latex compounding, solution mixing and melt blending. A variety of nanofillers, such as carbon black, silica, carbon nanotubes, graphene, calcium carbonate, organomodified clay, reclaimed rubber powder, recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) powder, cellulose whiskers, starch nanocrystals, etc. have been used to reinforce NR composites and nanocomposites over the past two decades. In this chapter, we discuss the preparation and properties of NR composites and nanocomposites from the viewpoint of nanofillers. We divide nanofillers into four different types conventional fillers, natural fillers, metal or compound fillers and hybrid fillers, and the following discussion is based on this classification. 

A.B. Suriani, M.D. Nmhaflzah, A. Mohamed, I. Zainol, A.K. Masrom, A facile one-step method for graphene oxide/natural rubber latex nanocomposite production for supercapacitor applications. Materials Letters, ISSN 0167-577X 161 (December 15, 2015)... 

Keywords Clay Composites Graphene Nanocomposites Rubbers Two-dimensional fillers... 

Ms. Jini Varghese is currently a Research Scholar at the School of Chemical Sciences at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. She is engaged in doctoral studies in the area of EPDM rubber-graphene nanocomposites. 

Silicone rubber (SR) nanocomposites with different dimensional nanofillers like OD (nanosilica, POSS, metal nanoparticle), ID (CNT, CNF), 2D (layered silicate, LDH, graphene) and 3D (graphite), etc., have been effectively reviewed in the up-to-date research work presented in this chapter covering their synthetic method, nanostructure and properties. It is noted that the SR nanocomposites exhibited improved mechanical, thermal, gas barrier properties, reduced flammability and biological properties at very low loading of fillers. However, it is concluded that such improvement in properties is only observed when fillers are uniformly dispersed and interact with SR chains. 

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