Abstract
A simple approach to decorate multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)–reduced graphene oxide (RGO) hybrid nanoparticles with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods is developed to improve the electrical and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/MWCNT–RGO composites. The ZnO nanorods act as “joint” in three-dimensional (3D) MWCNT–RGO networks and the hybrid particles strongly interact with PVC chains via p-π stacking, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic interactions, which we confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman analysis. By introducing the ZnO nanorods, the RGO–ZnO–MWCNT hybrid particles increased 160% in capacitance compared with MWCNT–RGO hybrids. Moreover, the addition of RGO–ZnO–MWCNT to PVC resulted in the mechanical properties of PVC being enhanced by 30.8% for tensile strength and 60.9% for Young’s modulus at the loadings of 2.0 weight percent (wt.%) and 1.0 wt.%, respectively. Meanwhile, the electrical conductivity of PVC increased by 11 orders of magnitude, from 1 × 10−15 S/m to 1 × 10−4 S/m for MWCNT–ZnO–RGO loading at 5.0 wt.%.
Highlights
Polymeric nanocomposites, composed of polymers and nanofillers dispersed in a polymer matrix, have attracted the attention of researchers worldwide for their widespread application in the fields of chemistry, machinery, and optics [1,2,3]
Particles are pulled apart in the matrix and exhibit poor mechanical properties. (b) When zinc oxide nanorods act as joints to connect the RGO–multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) fillers and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) chains; the interaction nanorods are added into the PVC/RGO–MWCNT composites, it can be seen that the ZnO nanorods between the hybrid particles and the matrix is improved
The PVC/MWCNT–ZnO–RGO nanocomposite films were prepared by the solution blending method
Summary
Polymeric nanocomposites, composed of polymers and nanofillers dispersed in a polymer matrix, have attracted the attention of researchers worldwide for their widespread application in the fields of chemistry, machinery, and optics [1,2,3]. Shadpour Mallakpour’s group improved the compatibility between PVC and MWCNTs through chemical treatment of carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs–COOH) with thiamine (Tm) This process achieved better CNT dispersion and enhanced mechanical properties of PVC-based nanocomposites [12,13,14,15]. Some researchers have demonstrated that adding metal oxides like ZnO particles to a PVC matrix can enhance the mechanical properties because of the strong interfacial interactions formed with PVC molecular chains. We prepared the MWCNT–ZnO–RGO hybrid particles that can be well-dispersed in the PVC matrix With their strong interfacial interactions with the minimal addition of hybrid particles, the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite materials were substantially improved
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