Properties of radiation vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL)–graphene nanocomposites

Graphene-related materials such as graphene oxide (GO)/exfoliated graphene oxide (XGO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) recently achieved much interest in nanocomposite research. In this study, we report the synthesis of RGO by a green route, and its efficacy as a potential filler for radiation-vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL) was explored. The synthesised XGO and RGO suspensions were characterised. The mechanical, morphological and electrical properties of the RVNRL-XGO/RGO nanocomposites were evaluated as a function of filler content. The percolation threshold of the RVNRL-RGO composite was 0.1 wt%. Compared with gum RVNRL, significant improvements in tensile strength and elongation at break were obtained for RVNRL-XGO nanocomposites at 1 wt% XGO loading, indicating increased polymer–filler interaction. The morphological results showed aggregation of filler particles at a concentration of 1.25 wt%.