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Dispersion and Exfoliation of Graphene in Rubber by an Ultrasonically‐Assisted Latex Mixing and In situ Reduction Process
Author(s) -
Zhan Yanhu,
Wu Jinkui,
Xia Hesheng,
Yan Ning,
Fei Guoxia,
Yuan Guiping
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201000358
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , exfoliation joint , ultimate tensile strength , natural rubber , dispersion (optics) , mixing (physics) , tear resistance , masterbatch , graphene , nanocomposite , physics , quantum mechanics , optics , nanotechnology
NR/GE composites were prepared by an ultrasonically‐assisted latex mixing and in situ reduction process. Graphene oxide was dispersed in NRL using an ultrasonic field and was then reduced in situ, followed by latex coagulation to obtain the NR/GE masterbatch. The results show that the process produces a much better dispersion and exfoliation of GE in the matrix and contributes to an increase in the tensile strength compared to conventional direct mixing. Compared to pure rubber, the tensile strength and tear strength for NR/(2 wt.‐%)GE composites were increased by ≈47 and 50%, respectively. With increasing GE content, the maximum torque, crosslink density, elastic modulus, and thermal conductivity of NR/GE composites were found to increase.