Improved thermal stability of silicone rubber nanocomposites with low filler content, achieved by well-dispersed carbon nanotubes

Improvement of the properties of polymer materials can extend the applicable fields of their usage. In this study, we present that the dispersibility of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) plays a critical role in the thermal stability of CNT/silicone rubber nanocomposites. Appropriate dispersion, which can be confirmed by a Raman mapping technique, can increase the temperatures at 5% weight loss (Td,5%) of the CNT/silicone rubber nanocomposites. Moreover, thermal aging tests have revealed that CNT/silicone rubber nanocomposites fabricated by appropriate dispersion process can retain rubbery elasticity after 7 days at 280 °C, at which condition pristine silicone rubber become embrittled only after one day. Furthermore, we found that these improvements in thermal stability of CNT/silicone rubber nanocomposites can be achieved by loading only of 0.05 wt% CNT in optimized conditions. Our findings indicate that appropriate dispersion can extract the potential of CNTs, and can impart objective properties effectively to their nanocomposites. •Well-dispersed carbon nanotubes thermally stabilize composites at low concentration.•Raman mapping surveys the dispersibility of carbon nanotubes in composites.•Both short- and long-term thermal stability were achieved.