Microwave-assisted RGO-based rubber composites for energy harvesting in wet conditions

초록

The use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcing fillers is well established in the literature. Previous studies indicate that the use of MWCNTs provides high tensile strength and good reinforcing properties. However, they often suffer from challenging dispersion, increased stiffness, and weak interfacial interactions in rubber composites. In addition, studies investigating their performance in wet environments remain limited. Therefore, this aspect of performance in a wet environment is explored in the present work. Microwave-assisted reduced graphene oxide (MRGO) was also investigated as a promising approach to address some of these limitations. MRGO consists of two-dimensional graphene sheets with oxygen-based functionalities such as -OH, -COOH, and -C=O. These functional groups facilitate improved dispersion and interfacial engineering. They also enable stronger interfacial interactions when used in combination with MWCNTs in silicone rubber. The present study demonstrates that incorporating MRGO in a hybrid system with MWCNTs results in enhanced material properties. These are leading to improved mechanical performance and robust energy harvesting capabilities. For instance, the compressive modulus was 1.16 MPa for the control sample, 2.12 MPa for the MWCNT-filled sample, and 2.86 MPa for the MRGO-MWCNT hybrid system. Similarly, the fracture strain was 106% for the control sample, 116% for the MWCNT-filled sample, and 154% for the MRGO-MWCNT hybrid system. For energy harvesting systems, the power density was 2.48 nW/cm2 for the MWCNT sample and 28.5 mu W/cm2 for the MRGO-MWCNT hybrid system. Finally, the energy coefficient was 1.2 nC/N for the MWCNT sample and 35.2 mu C/N for the MRGO-MWCNT hybrid system. Finally, the work concludes that MRGO + MWCNT arises as the best in achieving overall balanced properties. However, MRGO-MWCNT hybrids suffer from lower electro-mechanical stability in a wet environment.

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