Synergistic effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxides in natural rubber for sensing application Ponnamma,D, Sadasivuni,KK, Strankowski,M, Guo,Q and Thomas,S 2013, Synergistic effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxides in natural rubber for sensing application, Soft matter, vol. 9, no. 43, pp. 10343-10353, doi: 10.1039/c3sm51978c. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Synergistic effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxides in natural rubber for sensing application Author(s) Ponnamma,D Sadasivuni,KK Strankowski,M Guo,Q orcid.org/0000-0001-7113-651X Thomas,S Journal name Soft matter Volume number 9 Issue number 43 Start page 10343 End page 10353 Total pages 11 Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry Place of publication Cambridge, Eng. Publication date 2013 ISSN 1744-683X 1744-6848 Keyword(s) Science & Technology Physical Sciences Technology Chemistry, Physical Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Physics, Multidisciplinary Polymer Science Chemistry Materials Science Physics NONLINEAR VISCOELASTIC BEHAVIOR GRAPHITE OXIDE NANOCOMPOSITES REINFORCEMENT ELASTOMERS POLYMER BLACK REDUCTION COMPOSITE MEMBRANES Summary Utilizing the electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites is an important strategy to develop high performance solvent sensors. Here we report the synergistic effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in regulating the sensitivity of the naturally occurring elastomer, natural rubber (NR). Composites were fabricated by dispersing CNTs alone and together with exfoliated RGO sheets (thermally reduced at temperatures of 200 and 600 °C) in NR by a solution blending method. RGO exfoliation and the uniform distribution of fillers in the composites were studied by atomic force microscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The solvent sensitivity of the composite samples was noted from the sudden variation in electrical conductivity which was due to the breakdown of the filler networks during swelling in different solvents. It was found that the synergy between CNTs and RGO exfoliated at 200 °C imparts maximum sensitivity to NR in recognizing the usually used aromatic laboratory solvents. Mechanical and dynamic mechanical studies reveal efficient filler reinforcement, depending strongly on the nature of filler-elastomer interactions and supports the sensing mechanism. Such interactions were quantitatively determined using the Maier and Göritz model from Payne effect experiments. It is concluded that the polarity induced by RGO addition reduces the interactions between CNTs and ultimately results in the solvent sensitivity. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Language eng DOI 10.1039/c3sm51978c Field of Research 091209 Polymers and Plastics Socio Economic Objective 970109 Expanding Knowledge in Engineering HERDC Research category C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal ERA Research output type C Journal article Copyright notice ©2013, Royal Society of Chemistry Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30069762 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Institute for Frontier Materials GTP Research Related Links Link Description Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Tue, 17 Feb 2015, 12:03:07 EST Tue, 17 Feb 2015, 14:20:16 EST Tue, 17 Feb 2015, 14:26:45 EST Wed, 18 Feb 2015, 08:06:28 EST Wed, 18 Feb 2015, 12:33:01 EST Thu, 19 Feb 2015, 14:40:43 EST Tue, 24 Feb 2015, 08:46:01 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 121 times in TR Web of Science Cited 128 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 448 Abstract Views, 2 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Tue, 17 Feb 2015, 14:20:16 EST