Enhancement of the Electric-Force Response of Carbon Black/Silicone Rubber Composites by Silane Coupling Agents.

Flexible strain sensors have a wide range of applications in the field of health monitoring of seismic isolation bearings. However, the nonmonotonic response with shoulder peaks limits their application in practical engineering. Here we eliminate the shoulder peak phenomenon during the resistive-strain response by adjusting the dispersion of conductive nanofillers.

Study on the Low-Temperature Pre-Desulfurization of Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalt.

Waste tires can be ground as crumb rubber (CR) and incorporated into asphalt pavement for efficient resource utilization. However, due to its thermodynamic incompatibility with asphalt, CR cannot be uniformly dispersed in the asphalt mix. In order to address this issue, pretreating the CR with desulfurization is a common way to restore some of the properties of natural rubber.

Effect of Vulcanization on the Electro-Mechanical Sensing Characteristics of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Silicone Rubber Composites.

In order to realize effective monitoring for the working performance of seismic isolation structures, a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/methyl vinyl silicone rubber (VMQ) composite was prepared via mechanical blending using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butyl peroxy)hexane (DBPMH) as vulcanizing agents. The effects of the different vulcanizing agents on the dispersion of the MWCNT, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and resistance-strain response of the composites were investigated. The experimental results showed that the percolation threshold of the composites prepared with the two vulcanizing agents was low, while the DCP-vulcanized composites showed high mechanical properties and a better resistance-strain response sensitivity and stability, especially after 15,000 loading cycles.