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UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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| Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris |
| This study aimed to synthesise and fabricate graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) assisted custom-made and commercially available surfactants to be used as nanofillers in various types of natural rubber latex (NRL). The method used in this study were one- and two-step methods of electrochemical exfoliation. The samples were characterized using electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, micro-Raman, ultraviolet visible, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, thermogravimetric and four-point probe measurement. The GO/NRL nanocomposite samples were further characterized using the cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge measurement. Meanwhile, measurement of the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was performed on the optimized GO and rGO samples using Keithley 2611 source meter measurement. The findings show the optimum synthesis parameters for the production of GO were at electrolyte concentration of 0.01 and 0.1 M in synthesis time of 24 hours with an applied voltage of 7 and 10 V using custom-made triple-tails surfactants, namely 1, 4-bis (neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentyloxycarbonyl)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-silphonate (TC14). The fabrication of TC14-GO/NRL nanocomposite via the one-step method showed high values of electrical conductivity (σ = 2.65 × 10-4 S cm-1), homogeneous dispersion, and acceptable values for capacitive behaviour (C = 35 F g-1). This was due to the occurrence of triple interactions of TC14 as compared to conventional mixing methods using a commercially available single-tail surfactant. The fabrication of rGO in the radiation vulcanization NRL polymer demonstrated greater electrical conductivity enhancements of up to 1.32 ×10-3 S cm-1. The optimized samples were also fabricated onto fluorine doped tin oxide via spraying method in order to investigate potential electrode applications in DSSCs. The TC14-rGO sample showed good transmittance (90%) and a higher conversion efficiency of up to 0.828% as compared to rGO stabilized using a commercially available surfactant. In conclusion, the synthesized GO assisted TC14 and its nanocomposite are good candidates for the use as electrode materials in supercapacitor and DSSCs applications. The implication of this study is a novel, facile, economical, and green approach for the production of flexible nanocomposite and transparent electrode materials with good electrical conductivity using a custom-made surfactant. |
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