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UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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| An insulating polymer, radiation vulcanization natural of rubber latex (RVNRL), was successfully converted into electrically conductive nanocomposite by the addition of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) assisted by sodium 1,4-bis(neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentyloxycarbonyl)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulfonate (TC14) surfactant. The starting material, graphene oxide (GO), was initially synthesized by electrochemical exfoliation assisted by TC14 surfactant. Then, GO/RVNRL nanocomposite was fabricated by latex technology. For rGO/RVNRL nanocomposite, the synthesized GO was further reduced to rGO using hydrazine hydrate and showed electrical enhancement up to 1.32 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ compared with GO when composited with RVNRL (8.64 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹). For comparison, rGO/RVNRL nanocomposite assisted by the commercially available surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate was prepared, and its electrical conductivity was found to be 1.79 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹, which was several orders of magnitude lower than those of GO/RVNRL and rGO/RVNRL nanocomposites prepared with TC14 surfactant. C–V measurements taken for TC14-rGO/RVNRL and TC14-GO/RVNRL nanocomposites showed specific capacitances of 95 and 63 F g⁻¹, respectively. The structural properties of nanocomposites were characterized using FESEM, HRTEM, UV–Vis, micro-Raman, XRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, and TGA studies. This study was the first to report on the success of converting the insulator polymer RVNRL into a conductive nanocomposite assisted by TC14 surfactant. The nanocomposite can be a new electrode material for supercapacitor application. |
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