Flourishing an Electrochemical Synthetic Route toward Carbon Black-Intercalated Graphene As a Neoteric Hybrid Nanofiller for Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites

Abstract

This research work presents a creative and facile process for intercalation of graphite layers with the use of carbon black (CB) spacers, opening up the graphite layers to the nanolevel and producing a hybrid nanostructure. This unique tri-component three-dimensional hybrid structure, which consisted of graphene sheets exfoliated with graphene platelets and CB nanoparticle spacers, was extensively characterized by various sophisticated techniques. This surfactant-assisted electrolysis produced graphene with three layers on average. Disaggregated CB particles keep the graphene layers separated, and the material was structurally stable in water dispersion for more than a week. Such a water-dispersible filler was particularly suitable for a latex-based nanocomposite and typically advantageous concerning the dispersion of graphenetype fillers in polymers. This specifically tailored nanomaterial acted as a proficient functional filler for polymer nanocomposites, and upon incorporation in the styrene-butadiene rubber latex, the filler was brilliantly reinforcing, resulting in a 34% enhancement in the ultimate tensile strength and a 72% increase in the modulus of the rubber. The resultant polymer nanocomposite also unveiled multifunctional properties including a high specific capacitance, such as 244 F/g, and room-temperature magnetic hysteresis with fairly low remnant magnetization. This approach toward the fabrication of metal-free soft magnets comprising a carbon-based nanostructure in a polymeric matrix is scarce, and the study introduces the scope for utilization of similar composite materials in electronic as well as spintronic applications such as flexible supercapacitors even in clinically designed rubber shoes and smart tires.

Graphene in rubber formulations: a comprehensive review and performance optimization insights

“…It is interesting to mention that graphene can be modified by other kinds of methods such as gamma irradiation, 96–99 electrochemical methods, 44,100,101 and heat treatment. 61,102–104…”

“…The solution is ultrasonicated for 30 minutes, vacuum filtered, washed, and dried at 70 °C for 72 hours to produce exfoliated graphene. 100 Identically, GO is also exfoliated by using a 0.1 M hyperbranched triple-tail surfactant (sodium 1,4-bis(neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentyloxycarbonyl)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulphonate). The surfactant with a ratio to GO equal to 1 : 1 and NR latex acts as an electrolyte.…”

Unique graphene‐carbon black hybrid nanofiller by a micromechanical cleavage technique as a reinforcing agent in elastomers: Fundamental and experimental studies

“…Though synthesis of hybrid nanostructures has been a recent trend, synthesis of hybrid nanofillers aimed for such nanocomposites are infrequent. In a recent study, a one pot synthetic technique was developed yielding a unique graphene‐carbon black hybrid structure in which graphene and carbon black kept each other from restacking and agglomeration, stabilizing the three dimensional nanostructure through secondary attraction forces such as π‐π stacking interaction between their respective electron clouds 43 . This synthetic technique, however, may lack the scalability which is important when the respective elastomer nanocomposites are desired to find industrial applications.…”

Nanodiamond—Carbon Black Hybrid Filler System for Demanding Applications of Natural Rubber—Butadiene Rubber Composite

“…The partial replacement of CB by graphene nanoplatelets was mentioned to reduce the CB aggregation. Moreover, a surface modified expanded graphite was reported to improve the mechanical properties of the CB-filled NR composite [21] as well as an intercalated graphene-CB hybrid filler system in styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) [22].…”