Synergistic improvement of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties by graphene nanoplatelets in polyaniline incorporated rubbery thermoplastic composites

Here, thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) blend filled with polyaniline (PANi) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) was fabricated via melt blending and compression moulding. The synergistic influence of including 1-5 wt% GNPs with 3 wt% PANi in nanocomposites on the mechanical via tensile test, Impedance electrical test, thermal stability via thermogravimetric analysis test and morphologic observation were examined. Inclusion of 2 wt% of GNPs increased by 62.8 % on tensile strength and 151.8 % on Young's modulus of TPNR/PANi. The highest electrical conductivity and thermal stability were achieved in the same nanocomposite composition. With a low loading of GNPs, an electrical conductivity of 2.6 E- 9 S/cm was achieved which potential to be a new semi-conductive material. At this optimum content, the scanning electron microscopy micrograph revealed a homogenous distribution of GNPs in the TPNR/PANi blend as well as good matrix-filler interaction. To be practical in real application, cost-effectiveness is another important aspect to be determined. In this work, researchers evaluated the cost-performance of each system (TPNR, TPNR/PANi and TPNR/PANi/GNP) based on material costs, mechanical and electrical properties. Different general trends (positive, negative and synergistic) of cost-efficiency relationship were obtained for different material system and the priority greatly depends on their intended uses.