The effect of ENR as compatibilizer in Epoxy/NR/Graphene in conductive materials

Abstract

Graphene incorporated with epoxy composite was prepared using mechanical mixing technique with the density, flexural, fracture toughness, electrical conductivity and SEM morphology of the composite were studied. We chose ENR-50 to study the effect of ENR as compatibilizer in this composite. Graphene content was varied from, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 vol% on the epoxy composite was studied. The content of graphene filler increases, the density of the composite will also increase. For flexural testing, the optimum flexural strength and modulus obtained at 0.8 vol% of graphene loading. The optimum loading of graphene was fixed at 0.8 vol%. The effect of natural rubber content on epoxy/graphene was studied based on similar testing. The density results showed a decreasing trend when the rubber content increases. However with the increase of rubber content in the composite, the electrical properties of the composite shows a positive results as the electrical conductivity increases. The effects of Epoxidised Natural Rubber loading on Epoxy/Liquid Natural Rubber/Graphene composites was studied. The density of the composite shows the declining trend also. For the fracture toughness properties it shows mixed trend with increasing and decreasing of Kc values. The electrical resistivity decreases as usual with increasing trend of electrical conductivity.