Polydimethylsiloxane Composite Sponge Decorated with Graphene/Carbon Nanotube via Polydopamine for Multifunctional Applications

Abstract

Recently, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based porous materials have been regarded as ideal candidates in various applications. We created a PDMS composite sponge decorated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/carbon nanotube (CNT) fillers via polydopamine (PDA). Specifically, a manufactured PDMS sponge was prepared by a sacrificial template approach and then PDA was decorated on a network of PDMS sponges by dopamine selfpolymerization. PDA tightly and firmly attached to the PDMS sponge skeleton, which makes the superhydrophobic PDMS sponge hydrophilic providing adsorption sites for rGO and CNT fillers; thus, the compatibility between fillers and the PDMS matrix was improved. The developed rGO-CNT/PDA@PDMS composite sponge exhibited excellent sensing characteristics, photothermal effect, and superwettability simultaneously. The rGO-CNT/PDA@PDMS-based sensor has a wide strain range (0−60%), high sensitivity (GF = 2.13), and stability (500 loading/unloading cycles). Additionally, rGO-CNT/PDA@PDMS exhibits excellent oil−water separation performance and high-efficiency absorption of oils. Simultaneously, the rGO-CNT/PDA@PDMS sponge was also proved to possess good photothermal conversion performance. Therefore, the environmentally friendly and multifunctional rGO-CNT/PDA@PDMS composite sponge exhibits superior potential for application in flexible intelligent wearable devices, oily wastewater, and seawater desalination.

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