Preparation and improved properties (electrical, mechanical and microwave absorption) of graphene/ZnO/XNBR nanocomposites

A preparation route to fabricate high-performance graphene/rubber elastic nanocomposites was developed by combining the plasma-assisted electrical chemical exfoliation of graphite (PEG) in liquid phase with carboxylated butadiene acrylonitrile latex (XNBR). The dispersion and adhesion of PEG in the XNBR rubber matrix were considerably improved after interfacial modification due to forming the segregated 3D structure via the covalent bonding interactions between modified PGE nanosheets and XNBR particles. The stable and segregated 3D structure endowed the graphene reinforced XNBR nanocomposites with obviously enhanced electrical conductivity to the maximum of 4.67*10−2 S/m and strengthened the multiple mechanical performances at the same time. In addition, the microwave adsorption characteristics were also better than the pure XNBR matrix when the modified PEG nanosheets were added. Finally, the morphology of the reinforced XNBR nanocomposites was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectra, Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This simple and effective strategy provides another inspiration for the preparation of high-performance graphene-filled rubber nanocomposites.