Morphological aspects of carbon nanofillers and their hybrids for actuators and sensors

Rubber nanocomposites were prepared by mixing room‐temperature‐vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber and nanofillers such as graphitic nanofillers (GRs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon black (CB) for industrial applications. The possible correlations were examined between the properties and morphology of the fillers. The vulcanizates based on the CNT hybrid showed higher reinforcement with as an elastic modulus of ∼5.3 MPa compared to ∼3.2 MPa for GR flakes and ∼3.1 MPa for the CB hybrid at 8 phr. Similarly, lower resistances of 17 kΩ at 4 phr and 0.7 kΩ at 12 phr were obtained for the CNT hybrid. A correlation was determined between the mechanical and electrical properties in enhancing the displacements of the nanocomposites when used in actuators. Such improvements might be useful for flexible electrodes, energy harvesting, or actuators. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E373–E382, 2019. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers