Enhanced tensile strength and thermal conductivity of natural rubber graphene composite properties via rubber-graphene interaction

Rubber-filler interaction is one of the important factors that determine final properties of a composite materials. However, the process of making a homogeneous and stable dispersion of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) or graphene in the natural rubber latex matrix remains a major challenge. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was reduced in-situ during the latex mixing in the absence of strong reducing agent. The composite with only 0.1 phr of rGO has successfully improved the stress elongation at 700% (M700) and retention up to 14% and 13%, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have suggested that these improvements were attributed to rubber-filler interactions between rGO and rubber particles. It is interesting to observe that the thermal conductivity has also increased to 0.236 W/m.K or a 36% of increment after addition of rGO.