Carbon-based Polymer Nanocomposites Research Articles

Optimal Design of Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposites Preparation Based on Response Surface Methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) were used to improve the preparation of carbon nanotube and graphene (CNT-GN)-sensing unit composite materials in this study. Four independent variable factors (CNT content, GN content, mixing time, and curing temperature) were controlled at five levels, and 30 samples were generated using the multivariate control analysis technique. On the basis of the experimental design, semi-empirical equations were developed and utilized to predict the sensitivity and compression modulus of the generated samples. The results reveal a strong correlation between the experimental and expected values of sensitivity and the compression modulus for the CNT-GN/RTV (room-temperature-vulcanized silicone rubber) polymer nanocomposites fabricated using different design strategies. The correlation coefficients for the sensitivity and compression modulus are R2 =0.9634 and R2=0.9115, respectively. The ideal preparation parameters of the composite in the experimental range include a CNT content of 1.1 g, a GN content of 1.0 g, a mixing time of 15 min, and a curing temperature of 68.6 °C, according to theoretical predictions and experimental findings. At 0~30 kPa, the CNT-GN/RTV-sensing unit composite materials may reach a sensitivity of 0.385 kPa-1 and a compressive modulus of 601.567 kPa. This provides a new idea for the preparation of flexible sensor cells and reduces the time and economic cost of experiments.

Flexible Graphite Nanoflake/Polydimethylsiloxane Nanocomposites with Promising Solar–Thermal Conversion Performance

Flexible polymer nanocomposites have emerged as promising photothermal materials for various solar energy applications. However, developing photothermal materials meeting low cost, excellent light absorption capability, and facile fabrication processes has remained challenging. Herein, a set of graphite nanoflake (GnF)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposites having different concentrations from 1 to 10 wt % GnF are fabricated to find the optimum amount of GnF in a GnF/PDMS nanocomposite for the maximum absorption of solar energy within the entire solar spectrum. The optical and photothermal properties of GnF/PDMS nanocomposite films were found to be optimum at 3 wt % GnF/PDMS. Specifically, the total solar absorption is 94.8 ± 0.20%, outperforming most of the previous flexible carbon-based polymer nanocomposites. As an example of the potential application of optimized GnF/PDMS nanocomposites, a floatable interfacial water evaporator was developed by dip-coating GnF/PDMS on polyurethane (PU) foam. The coated PU at 1 wt % GnF/PDMS yields an evaporation rate of 1.14 Kg/m2·h and solar–vapor conversion efficiency of 68.2% under 1 sun illumination. The advantages of stable coating of GnF/PDMS nanocomposites and their excellent photothermal effect will benefit various solar-powered applications such as desalination, purification, and steam generation.

A Comprehensive Compilation of Graphene/Fullerene Polymer Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Energy Storage.

Electricity consumption is an integral part of life on earth. Energy generation has become a critical topic, addressing the need to fuel the energy demands of consumers. Energy storage is an offshoot of the mainstream process, which is now becoming a prime topic of research and development. Electrochemical energy storage is an attractive option, serving its purpose through fuel cells, batteries and supercapacitors manipulating the properties of various materials, nanomaterials and polymer substrates. The following review presents a comprehensive report on the use of carbon-based polymer nanocomposites, specifically graphene and fullerene-based polymer nanocomposites, towards electrochemical energy storage. The achievements in these areas, and the types of polymer nanocomposites used are listed. The areas that lack of clarity and have a dearth of information are highlighted. Directions for future research are presented and recommendations for fully utilizing the benefits of the graphene/fullerene polymer nanocomposite system are proposed.

INVESTIGATION IN TO THE STATIC AND DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURAL SANDWICH PANEL

Analytical investigations on the static and dynamic behaviour of light weight structural sandwich panels, which are widely employed in maritime, aircraft, transport, and mechanical/civil engineering applications, are provided. These light, thin-walled structures can vibrate ferociously and are sensitive to even the smallest disturbances. So, the main goal of this work is to improve sandwich panels' static and dynamic behaviour by investigating various face sheets and core materials. Studies on carbon-based polymer nanocomposite are currently generating more interest because to its favourable thermal, electric, magnetic, and structural characteristics. In this study, functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composite faces with a 3D graphene foam core and functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composite faces were all used to make the sandwich panels. Also, the thermal stresses created in this structure when these panels are exposed to a thermal environment have a significant impact on the dynamic behaviour. Hence, the honeycomb core and polymer composite sandwich panels with reinforced FG-CNT face sheets are examined in various thermal environments. This study examines the properties of forced and free vibration to analyse the dynamic behaviour of a structure

Carbon-Based Piezoresistive Polymer Nanocomposites by Extrusion Additive Manufacturing: Process, Material Design, and Current Progress.

Advancement in additive manufacturing (AM) allows the production of nanocomposites with complex and custom geometries not typically allowable with conventional manufacturing techniques. The benefits of AM have led to recent interest in producing multifunctional materials capable of being printed with current AM technologies. In this article, piezoresistive composites realized by AM and the matrices and fillers utilized to make such devices are introduced and discussed. Carbon-based nanoparticles (Carbon Nanotubes, Graphene/Graphite, and Carbon Black) are often the filler choice of most researchers and are heavily discussed throughout this review in combination with extrusion AM methods. Piezoresistive applications such as physiological and wearable sensors, structural health monitoring, and soft robotics are presented with an emphasis on material and AM selection to meet the demands of such applications.

Influence of Ionomer and Cyanuric Acid on Antistatic, Mechanical, Thermal, and Rheological Properties of Extruded Carbon Nanotube (CNT)/Polyoxymethylene (POM) Nanocomposites.

The electrical properties of carbon-based filler-embedded polymer nanocomposites are essential for various applications such as antistatic and electromagnetic interference (EMI) applications. In this study, the impact of additives (i.e., ethylene-co-acid-co-sodium acid copolymer-based ionomer and cyanuric acid) on the antistatic, mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of extruded multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polyoxymethylene (POM) nanocomposites were systematically investigated. The effects of each additive and the combination of additives were examined. Despite a slight reduction in mechanical properties, the incorporation of ionomer (coating on CNTs) and/or cyanuric acid (π-π interaction between CNTs and cyanuric acid) into the POM/CNT nanocomposites improved the CNT dispersity in the POM matrix, thereby enhancing electrical properties such as the electrical conductivity (and surface resistance) and electrical conductivity monodispersity. The optimum composition for the highest electrical properties was determined to be POM/1.5 wt% CNT/3.0 wt% ionomer/0.5 wt% cyanuric acid. The nanocomposites with tunable electrical properties are sought after, especially for antistatic and EMI applications such as electronic device-fixing jigs.

Radiation-Assisted Synthesis of Polymer-Based Nanomaterials

Radiation technology has long been proven as a simple, rapid, green and sustainable technology with macroscale applications in healthcare, industry and environment. Its merits, however, have not been fully utilized in today’s ever growing nanotechnology. Ionizing radiation has beneficial effects for the synthesis and modification of structure and properties of nanomaterials. This paper intends to update the application of ionizing radiation in the development of various nanomaterials under the categories: (i) carbon-based nanomaterials, (ii) metal-based nanomaterials, (iii) polymer-based nanomaterials, (iv) polymer nanocomposites and (v) nano-scale grafting for advanced membrane applications.

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide – PVDF nanocomposite membrane for persulfate activation and degradation of water organic micropollutants

Metal-free carbon-based polymer nanocomposite membranes were employed for the first time for activated persulfate oxidation in continuous mode of operation. For that purpose, reduced graphene oxide doped with nitrogen by using melamine as source (rGO-M) was included as catalytic active phase in a poly(vinylidene fluoride) matrix (PVDF). The performance of the resulting composite membrane (rGO-M-PVDF) was compared against that obtained with supported membranes prepared by simple filtration of rGO-M into a PTFE substrate. The uniform distribution of rGO-M within both the surface pores and cross-sectional channels of the composite rGO-M-PVDF membrane (with a thickness of 292 ± 20 μm) was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while its main structural features were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The quite good performance of this composite membrane was demonstrated by the degradation of three fluoroquinolone antibiotics at ppb level in ultrapure water (100 μg L−1 each), leading to average pollutant mass removal rates in the range 2.05–2.73 mg m−2 h−1. Conversions of the pharmaceuticals in the range 54–91% were obtained even after 24 h of operation in full continuous mode. Persulfate conversion was confirmed and high resistance to fouling was observed with this novel catalytic membrane. Average pollutant mass removal rates in the range 0.34–0.77 mg m−2 h−1 were obtained in preliminary experiments performed with surface water instead of ultrapure water, highlighting the need for additional studies on both water matrix effects and process optimization.

A Facile Approach for Elimination of Electroneutral/Anionic Organic Dyes from Water Using a Developed Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposite Membrane

As a tool for mitigating water scarcity, membrane technologies have attracted much attention in the field of industrial effluent treatment. Notably, standard membranes suffer rejection issues that lead to short membrane life and high operational costs. Thus, better rejection-resistant materials (e.g., polyethersulfone (PES) membrane blended with carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (carboxylated-MWCNT)) have been developed via a phase-inversion process. Fabricated nanocomposite membranes are characterized in terms of physico-chemical characteristics and permeation properties. The removal performance of nanocomposite membranes is evaluated via the filtration of 1000 mg/L electroneutral bromothymol blue and anionic methyl orange dyes. According to the results, the optimum blending of 0.2 wt% carboxylated-MWCNTs exhibits an increase in surface properties and thermo-mechanical properties. Moreover, carboxylated-MWCNT/PES nanocomposites exhibit the highest pure-water permeability at 20.0 L/m2.h.bar and superior removal of dyes (greater than 95%) with different charges at an operating pressure of 3 bar. The carboxylated-MWCNTs/PES are promising nanocomposite membranes that exhibit favorable removal performance when dealing with industrial effluent.

Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposite for High-Performance Energy Storage Applications.

In recent years, numerous discoveries and investigations have been remarked for the development of carbon-based polymer nanocomposites. Carbon-based materials and their composites hold encouraging employment in a broad array of fields, for example, energy storage devices, fuel cells, membranes sensors, actuators, and electromagnetic shielding. Carbon and its derivatives exhibit some remarkable features such as high conductivity, high surface area, excellent chemical endurance, and good mechanical durability. On the other hand, characteristics such as docility, lower price, and high environmental resistance are some of the unique properties of conducting polymers (CPs). To enhance the properties and performance, polymeric electrode materials can be modified suitably by metal oxides and carbon materials resulting in a composite that helps in the collection and accumulation of charges due to large surface area. The carbon-polymer nanocomposites assist in overcoming the difficulties arising in achieving the high performance of polymeric compounds and deliver high-performance composites that can be used in electrochemical energy storage devices. Carbon-based polymer nanocomposites have both advantages and disadvantages, so in this review, attempts are made to understand their synergistic behavior and resulting performance. The three electrochemical energy storage systems and the type of electrode materials used for them have been studied here in this article and some aspects for example morphology, exterior area, temperature, and approaches have been observed to influence the activity of electrochemical methods. This review article evaluates and compiles reported data to present a significant and extensive summary of the state of the art.

Improved strength and toughness of semi-aromatic polyamide 6T-co-6(PA6T/6)/GO composites via in situ polymerization

In this paper, poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide)-co-polycaprolactam (PA6T/6)/graphene oxide (GO) composites were prepared via in-situ polycondensation and/or melt blending. To improve the comprehensive properties, PA6T/6 chains were grafted onto GO, taking advantage of condensation reaction between amino group of the polymer chain terminal and carboxyl group on the GO surface. The results demonstrated that the polymer chain grafted GO reached a more homogeneous dispersion in PA6T/6 matrix compared with pristine GO, which was ascribed to the intermolecular force such as hydrogen bond, generating among amides (CONH) emerged separately on grafted and free PA6T/6 chains. Furthermore, the length of grafted chain was varied by controlling the grafting process and its effect on the thermal and mechanical properties of (PAT/6)/GO composites was studied in detail. Hence, long PA6T/6-chain-grafted graphene sheet gradually improved the tensile strength to 73.6 MPa (by 45.7%) due to strong interaction, excellent dispersion and physical entanglement with PA6T/6 matrix even with a small amount of GO (2 wt‰), and a balance of strength and toughness was obtained owing to the formation of polymer-bridged graphene network structure. Notably, short PA6T/6 (prePA6T/6) chain grafted graphene sheet together with moderate amount of prePA6T/6, which remarkably promoted the crystallization of PA6T/6, might play a synergistic reinforcement role and increased the tensile strength to 71.9 MPa with just 1 wt‰ of GO content. That synergistic reinforcement effect might open a new avenue to further enhance those graphitic carbon-based polymer nanocomposites with extremely small amount of fillers, especially for those crystallizable polymers.

Highly conductive and flexible nano-structured carbon-based polymer nanocomposites with improved electromagnetic-interference-shielding performance

Widespread usage and development of electrical/electronic devices can create severe problems for various other devices and in our everyday lives due to harmful exposure to electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Herein, we report on the electromagnetic interference (EMI)-shielding performance of highly flexible and conductive chlorinated polyethylene (CPE)/carbon nanofiber (CNF) nanocomposites fabricated by a probe-sonication-assisted simple solution-mixing process. The dispersion of CNF nanofillers inside the CPE matrix has been studied by electron micrographs. This dispersion is reflected in the formation of continuous conductive networks at a low percolation-threshold value of 2.87 wt% and promising EMI-shielding performance of 41.5 dB for 25 wt% CNF in the X-band frequency (8.2–12.4 GHz). Such an intriguing performance mainly depends on the unique filler–filler or filler–polymer networks in CPE nanocomposites. In addition, the composite material displays a superior EMI efficiency of 47.5 dB for 2.0 mm thickness at 8.2 GHz. However, we have been encouraged by the promotion of highly flexible and lightweight CPE/CNF nanocomposite as a superior EMI shield, which can protect electronic devices against harm caused by EM radiation and offers an adaptable solution in advanced EMI-shield applications.

Real time polymer nanocomposites-based physical nanosensors: theory and modeling

Functionalized carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons nanostructures, serving as the basis for the creation of physical pressure and temperature nanosensors, are considered as tools for ecological monitoring and medical applications. Fragments of nanocarbon inclusions with different morphologies, presenting a disordered system, are regarded as models for nanocomposite materials based on carbon nanoсluster suspension in dielectric polymer environments (e.g., epoxy resins). We have formulated the approach of conductivity calculations for carbon-based polymer nanocomposites using the effective media cluster approach, disordered systems theory and conductivity mechanisms analysis, and obtained the calibration dependences. Providing a proper description of electric responses in nanosensoring systems, we demonstrate the implementation of advanced simulation models suitable for real time control nanosystems. We also consider the prospects and prototypes of the proposed physical nanosensor models providing the comparisons with experimental calibration dependences.

Effects on the Thermo-Mechanical and Crystallinity Properties of Nylon 6,6 Electrospun Fibres Reinforced with One Dimensional (1D) and Two Dimensional (2D) Carbon.

Electrospun one dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) carbon based polymer nanocomposites are studied in order to determine the effect provided by the two differently structured nanofillers on crystallinity and thermo-mechanical properties of the nanofibres. The nanomaterials studied are pristine carbon nanotubes, oxidised carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxide and graphene oxide. Functional groups associated with the order structure of the polymers are analysed by infrared and Raman spectroscopies; the morphology is studied by scanning electron microscopy and the crystallinity properties are investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Differences in crystallisation behaviour between 1D and 2D carbon based nanofibres are shown by their crystallinity degree and their crystal sizes. The nanocomposite crystal sizes perpendicular to the plane (100) decrease with nanofiller content in all cases. The crystallinity trend and crystal sizes are in accordance with storage modulus response. The results also suggest that functionalisation favours interfacial bonding and dispersion of the nanomaterials within the polymer matrix. As a consequence the number of nucleating sites increases which in turn decreases the crystal size in the nanocomposites. These features explain the improved thermo-mechanical properties in the nanocomposites.

A REVIEW OF THE APPLICATIONS OF NANOCARBON POLYMER COMPOSITES

Nanotechnology offers fundamentally new capabilities to architect a broad array of novel materials, composites and structures on a molecular scale. It is potentially capable of redefining the methods used for developing lighter, stronger, high-performance structures and processes with unique and nontraditional properties. This review summarizes different classes of nanocarbon-based polymer composites and their applications. Also, it highlights different ways to create smaller, cheaper, lighter and faster devices using nanocarbon-based polymer composites. The potential applications of such materials are in the fields of membrane, aviation, electronics, polymer composites, as well as the marine and transport industries. A detailed description of nanocarbon-based composite materials manufactured from PE, PP, PS, PS, PVC, PPS, ABS, PMMA, nitrile rubber, etc. is also reviewed. Some of the major applications of carbon-based polymer nanocomposites are in the tyre industry, semiconductors, and many more, which has brought about the new, developing and exciting research field called nanoscience.