Preparation of electrically conductive PDMS/cellulose nanofibrils/carbon nanotubes-reinforced silicone elastomer | |
| Author | Sakaerwan Piwsoi |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ISE-23-06 |
| Subject(s) | Polydimethylsiloxane Cellulose Nanostructured materials |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Bio-Nano Material Science and Engineering |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Electrically conducting and flexible materials have received tremendous interest recently in many areas, such as intelligent robots, lightweight mobile electronics, biomedical applications, and wearable devices, as they can provide new device functionalities and reduce application complexities. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a biocompatible and flexible material suitable for such flexible applications. However, PDMS is electrically insulating in nature. Thus, the goal of this research is to increase the electrical conductivity of PDMS by incorporating multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into the PDMS matrix. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were added into the mixture as a dispersing agent to improve the dispersion of the CNTs in PDMS enhancing the electrical properties of the nanocomposite. In addition, four silane coupling agents, namely (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), phenyltrimethox ysilane, n-Propyltriethoxy-silane, and triethoxy(octyl)silane, were utilized to functionalize the surface of cellulose nanofibers, which enhance the compatibility of hydrophilic CNF with the hydrophobic PDMS polymer matrix. CNFs and silane modified CNFs were mixed at different quantities in the PDMS/MWCNT composite and flexible PDMS/CNF/CNT films were prepared. The developed PDMS/CNF/CNT and PDMS/modified-CNF/CNT nanocomposite films were characterized for their electrical, mechanical, chemical, morphological, and surface-wetting properties. Their electrical and mechanical stability against pH level was also studied during the research. Moreover, a relationship between the electric conductance and mechanical strain of the PDMS/CNF/CNT and PDMS/modified-CNFs/CNT nanocomposite was established to determine the mechanoelectrical properties of the nanocomposite. Overall, the results indicated that silane modified CNF has better dispersibility in the PDMS matrix and it also improves the dispersion of MWCNT in PDMS improving the electrical conductance of the PDMS/modified-CNFs/CNT nanocomposite films. |
| Year | 2023 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology |
| Department | Department of Industrial Systems Engineering (DISE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Bio-Nano Materials Science and Engineering (BNMSE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Bora, Tanujjal; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ricco, Raffaele;Sasitorn Srisawadi; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited, Thailand;AIT Scholarships; |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2023 |