Abstract
Graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid films were prepared with the aid of surfactant Triton X-100 and sonication through a vacuum filtration process. The influence of GNP content ranging from 0 to 50 wt.% on the mechanical and electrical properties was investigated using the tensile test and Hall effect measurement, respectively. It showed that the tensile strength of the hybrid film is decreasing with the increase of the GNP content while the electrical conductivity exhibits an opposite trend. The effectiveness of the MWCNT/GNP hybrid film as a strain sensor is presented. The specimen is subjected to a flexural loading, and the electrical resistance measured by a two-point probe method is found to be function of applied strain. Experimental results demonstrate that there are two different linear strain-sensing stages (0–0.2% and 0.2–1%) in the resistance of the hybrid film with applied strain. The strain sensitivity is increasing with the increase of the GNP content. In addition, the repeatability and stability of the strain sensitivity of the hybrid film were conformed through the cyclic loading–unloading tests. The MWCNT/GNP hybrid film shows promising application for strain sensing.
Highlights
Since the discoveries of carbon nanotubes (CNT) by Iijima [1] and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) by Novoselov et al [2], they have received a great attention as raw materials for the development of nanomaterials due to their excellent thermal, electrical and mechanical properties, low density and high specific surface area [3]
Thin films or paper-like materials consisting of GNP or CNT have drawn extensive attention and they are being widely employed for supercapacitors [11], pressure sensors [12], monitoring cure behavior of polymer composite [13], flexible temperature sensors [14], and as reinforcing fillers in polymers [15,16,17]
The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the hybrid film measured as a function of GNP content are shown in Figures 3 and 4, respectively. Both properties consistently increased with decreasing GNP content, indicating the dominance of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on mechanical properties of the hybrid film
Summary
Since the discoveries of carbon nanotubes (CNT) by Iijima [1] and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) by Novoselov et al [2], they have received a great attention as raw materials for the development of nanomaterials due to their excellent thermal, electrical and mechanical properties, low density and high specific surface area [3]. Thin films or paper-like materials consisting of GNP or CNT have drawn extensive attention and they are being widely employed for supercapacitors [11], pressure sensors [12], monitoring cure behavior of polymer composite [13], flexible temperature sensors [14], and as reinforcing fillers in polymers [15,16,17] These free-standing thin films are cohesively bound by van der Waals interactions among entangled CNTs and GNPs. The main idea behind the fabrication of thin film is to utilize the excellent properties of individual GNP and CNT in macroscopic form. The effect of GNP content on mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and strain-sensing performance of hybrid films are investigated. It is important in understanding the MWCNT/GNP hybrid films so as to further improve their properties for end applications
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