Insight into Enzymatic Degradation of Physically Crosslinked Hydrogels Anchored by Functionalized Carbon Nanofillers

The effect of different geometries of functional carbon nanofillers has been studied to understand the nature of enzymatic degradation of physically crosslinked hydrogels. The noncovalent interactions between polymer and fillers...

Electrical conductivity of polymer/carbon nanofillers composites

Using a broadband dielectric spectrometry we studied the effect of carbon nanofillers (CN) with various aspect ratio (fullerene C60, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and hybrid rGO:MWCNT nanofillers) on the electrical conductivity of the polyazomethine-based nanocomposites. One-dimensional MWCNTs with high aspect ratio were shown to be the most effective CN for fabrication of polymer-based nanocomposites with enhanced electrical conductivity.

Effect of Carbon Nanoparticles on Properties of Polyetherimide Fibers

In the present work, fibers based on heat-resistant amorphous polyimide brand Ultem-1000 were prepared by melt extrusion. Vapor-grown carbon nanofibers (VGCFs) and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were used to increase the mechanical characteristics of the polymer fibers. The fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermophysical and mechanical tensile analysis. SEM study revealed very good distribution of the carbon nanofillers throughout the polyimide fiber volume. The mechanical testing of the unoriented nanocomposite fibers showed that the introduction of VGCFs or SWCNTs led to an increase in tensile strength and modulus. High-temperature drawing allows obtaining polyimide nanocomposite fibers with significantly increased mechanical properties (»300 MPa for strength and »4.6 GPa for modulus).

Effect of Secondary Carbon Nanofillers on the Electrical, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of Conductive Hybrid Composites Based on Epoxy Resin and Graphite

In this work, we present a comparative study of the impact of secondary carbon nanofillers on the electrical and thermal conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of hybrid conductive polymer composites (CPC) based on high loadings of synthetic graphite and epoxy resin. Two different carbon nanofillers were chosen for the investigation—low-cost multi-layered graphene nanoplatelets (GN) and carbon black (CB), which were aimed at improving the overall performance of composites. The samples were obtained by a simple, inexpensive, and effective compression molding technique, and were investigated by the means of, i.a., scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, electrical conductivity measurements, laser flash analysis, and thermogravimetry. The tests performed revealed that, due to the exceptional electronic transport properties of GN, its relatively low specific surface area, good aspect ratio, and nanometric sizes of particles, a notable improvement in the overall characteristics of the composites (best results for 4 wt % of GN; σ = 266.7 S cm−1; λ = 40.6 W mK−1; fl. strength = 40.1 MPa). In turn, the addition of CB resulted in a limited improvement in mechanical properties, and a deterioration in electrical and thermal properties, mainly due to the too high specific surface area of this nanofiller. The results obtained were compared with US Department of Energy recommendations regarding properties of materials for bipolar plates in fuel cells. As shown, the materials developed significantly exceed the recommended values of the majority of the most important parameters, indicating high potential application of the composites obtained.

Silicone Rubber Composites Reinforced by Carbon Nanofillers and Their Hybrids for Various Applications: A Review

Without fillers, rubber types such as silicone rubber exhibit poor mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Carbon black (CB) is traditionally used as a filler in the rubber matrix to improve its properties, but a high content (nearly 60 per hundred parts of rubber (phr)) is required. However, this high content of CB often alters the viscoelastic properties of the rubber composite. Thus, nowadays, nanofillers such as graphene (GE) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are used, which provide significant improvements to the properties of composites at as low as 2–3 phr. Nanofillers are classified as those fillers consisting of at least one dimension below 100 nanometers (nm). In the present review paper, nanofillers based on carbon nanomaterials such as GE, CNT, and CB are explored in terms of how they improve the properties of rubber composites. These nanofillers can significantly improve the properties of silicone rubber (SR) nanocomposites and have been useful for a wide range of applications, such as strain sensing. Therefore, carbon-nanofiller-reinforced SRs are reviewed here, along with advancements in this research area. The microstructures, defect densities, and crystal structures of different carbon nanofillers for SR nanocomposites are characterized, and their processing and dispersion are described. The dispersion of the rubber composites was reported through atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of these nanofillers on the mechanical (compressive modulus, tensile strength, fracture strain, Young’s modulus, glass transition), thermal (thermal conductivity), and electrical properties (electrical conductivity) of SR nanocomposites is also discussed. Finally, the application of the improved SR nanocomposites as strain sensors according to their filler structure and concentration is discussed. This detailed review clearly shows the dependency of SR nanocomposite properties on the characteristics of the carbon nanofillers.

Structure–Function Relationships of Nanocarbon/Polymer Composites for Chemiresistive Sensing: A Review

Composites of organic compounds and inorganic nanomaterials provide novel sensing platforms for high-performance sensor applications. The combination of the attractive functionalities of nanomaterials with polymers as an organic matrix offers promising materials with tunable electrical, mechanical, and chemisensitive properties. This review mainly focuses on nanocarbon/polymer composites as chemiresistors. We first describe the structure and properties of carbon nanofillers as reinforcement agents used in the manufacture of polymer composites and the sensing mechanism of developed nanocomposites as chemiresistors. Then, the design and synthesizing methods of polymer composites based on carbon nanofillers are discussed. The electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and the applications of different nanocarbon/polymer composites for the detection of different analytes are reviewed. Lastly, challenges and the future vision for applications of such nanocomposites are described.