Enhancing the thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties of silicone rubber by addition of graphene nanoplatelets

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs)/silicone rubber composites were prepared with the assistance of the Flacktek SpeedMixer. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectra, Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) were carried out to characterize the structure of graphene nanoplatelets. An electronic universal testing machine, laser thermal conductivity analysis (LFA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) reveal the effects of GNP loading content on the thermal conductivity, electrical, and mechanical properties of the composites. The results show that the GNPs present a homogeneous dispersion in silicone rubber and the thermal conductivity of composites exhibits improving from 0.16 to 0.26W/(m·K) (an increase of 53.1%) and the tensile strength varies from 0.240 to 0.608MPa (an increase of 153%) with the addition of a low content (0–8%) of GNPs. In addition, the thermal stability of silicone rubber composites is significantly enhanced. [Display omitted] •We present a simple approach to prepare the silicone rubber composites with graphene nanoplatelets.•Silicone rubber composites show excellent thermal transport performance.•Silicone rubber composites display significantly enhanced mechanical properties.