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Interfacial interaction-induced temperature-dependent mechanical property of graphene-PDMS nanocomposite

  • Composites & nanocomposites
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Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and graphene-PDMS nanocomposites (GP) have been widely studied because of their excellent properties, of which the elastic modulus is very important for various applications. Here, the dependence of the elastic modulus of properly cured PDMS and GP on the temperature has been investigated. For both PDMS and GP, a critical temperature (Tc) has been found, which originates from the strong affinity of PDMS chains to the PDMS network and graphene sheet, as suggested by molecular dynamics simulation. Graphene inhibits the cross-linking of PDMS close to its surface, which leads to the reduced elastic modulus of GP (EGP). Only when the temperature is above Tc, EGP increases with temperature. This is the result of the entropy elasticity of PDMS and the re-initiated cross-linking of PDMS. However, the elastic moduli of PDMS and GP are independent of the temperature below Tc. Here, the study provides a guideline for the preparation and using of PDMS and its composite at various temperatures.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank Dr. Rakesh Das for the language editing of this article. The research was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFB1105100, 2016YFA0200200) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (51503156, 51973165).

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Author notes

  1. Xin Wang and Zhekun Shi have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Power and Mechanical Engineering & The Institute of Technological Science, Wuhan University, South Donghu Road 8, 430072, Wuhan, China

    Xin Wang, Zhekun Shi, Fandong Meng, Yan Zhao, Yifeng Lei & Longjian Xue

  2. Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China

    Zhongshuai Wu

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  1. Xin Wang
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  2. Zhekun Shi
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Correspondence to Longjian Xue.

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Wang, X., Shi, Z., Meng, F. et al. Interfacial interaction-induced temperature-dependent mechanical property of graphene-PDMS nanocomposite. J Mater Sci 55, 1553–1561 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-019-04126-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-019-04126-y

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