Enhancing the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)-Based Conductive Nanocomposites by Zinc Oxide Nanorods

Guizhen Zhang,Guangjian He,Feng Qiu,Mingyang Hao

doi:10.3390/ma11112139

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

Introduction

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

Materials

Synthesis of MWCNT–ZnO–RGO Hybrid Particles

Characterization

Scanning

The tensile strength andYoung’s

Conclusions