Elastomeric Nanocomposite with Solvent‐Free, One Step, In Situ Shear Exfoliation of Graphite to Graphene

Rahman, Ashiqur; Salam, Abdur Rahman Bin Abdus; Boebinger, Matthew G.; Touhami, Ahmed; Lynch, Jennifer; Ashraf, Ali

doi:10.1002/admi.202400803

Elastomeric Nanocomposite with Solvent‐Free, One Step, In Situ Shear Exfoliation of Graphite to Graphene

Journal Article · Sun Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Advanced Materials Interfaces

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202400803· OSTI ID:2496728

Rahman, Ashiqur ^[1]; Salam, Abdur Rahman Bin Abdus ^[2]; ^[3]; Touhami, Ahmed ^[4]; Lynch, Jennifer ^[5]; ^[6]

Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Penn State Univ., College Park, PA (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
Univ. of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX (United States)
Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States)
Univ. of South Florida, Tampa, FL (United States)

A graphene nanoflake (GNF)‐enhanced elastomeric nanocomposite (G‐EMC) is fabricated following an innovative, cost‐effective, single‐step, in situ shear exfoliation (ISE) method from low‐cost bulk material, graphite, where uniform mixing happens simultaneously within the elastomer matrix. Electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photo‐induced force microscopy results show good dispersion of GNFs with exfoliation to a few layers and uniform distribution in the elastomer matrix. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows less than 1% oxygen‐containing functional groups/impurity, enhanced bonding through the formation of edge sites as fracture occurs across the GNF basal plane, and pi‐pi interactions with newly exfoliated planar basal plane surfaces of the GNFs. Raman spectroscopy results confirm the formation of GNFs with only a few layers of graphene formed by the ISE process. Fabricated 10 wt.% G‐EMC nanocomposites show a 400%–500% increase in strength and fracture toughness. And 35 wt.% G‐EMCs provide an electrical conductivity of 25.64 S m⁻¹ and a sensor gauge factor of 45. The resulting intrinsic piezo resistivity of the fabricated nanocomposite has been exploited to fabricate a multi‐functional wired and wireless sensor for detecting different body movements, speech, human vital functions, solvents, and biomolecules.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2496728

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2573191

Journal Information:: Advanced Materials Interfaces, Journal Name: Advanced Materials Interfaces Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 12; ISSN 2196-7350

Publisher:: Wiley-VCHCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Elastomeric Nanocomposite with Solvent‐Free, One Step, In Situ Shear Exfoliation of Graphite to Graphene

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