8 - Utilization of carbon allotropes with special reference to carbon nanotubes and graphene for the high performance of natural rubber

Abstract

Carbon is the most studied element of the nano era. Carbon adopts a wide range of allotropes, such as graphite, diamond, fullerene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene (GE), and amorphous carbon. These carbon structures have been explored for the last few decades and find applications in various fields of science and technology, especially in the form of polymer nanocomposites. Natural rubber (NR) being the crucial material in industrial applications, has been studied and examined for the improvement of both physical and electrical properties with these carbon materials. In this chapter we give a brief description of the types, structures, and shapes of different allotropes of carbon in the first section with a detailed discussion on NR/CNT and NR/GE nanocomposites in the following sections. The role of processing methods in improving the state of dispersion of CNTs and GE in NR has been discussed along with the effect of incorporation of these nanomaterials on the mechanical and electrical properties of the resulting nanocomposites. Some potential applications and prospects for future development of these high-performance materials have been included at the end of this chapter.