Disperse-and-Mix: Oil as an 'Entrance Door' of Carbon-Based Fillers to Rubber Composites.

Oil was employed as an 'entrance door' for loading rubber with carbon-based fillers of different size and dimensionalities: 1D carbon nanotubes (CNTs), 2D graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and 3D graphite. This approach was explored, as a proof of concept, in the preparation of tire tread, where oil is commonly used to reduce the viscosity of the composite mixture. Rubber was loaded with carbon black (CB, always used) and one or more of the above fillers to enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of the composite.

Graphene-graphite hybrid epoxy composites with controllable workability for thermal management.

The substantial heat generation in highly dense electronic devices requires the use of materials tailored to facilitate efficient thermal management. The design of such materials may be based on the loading of thermally conductive fillers into the polymer matrix applied - as a thermal interface material - on the interface between two surfaces to reduce contact resistance. On the one hand, these additives enhance the thermal conductivity of the composite, but on the other hand, they increase the viscosity of the composite and hence impair its workability.

Mechanical agitation induces counterintuitive aggregation of pre-dispersed carbon nanotubes.

Mechanical agitation is commonly used to fragment and disperse insoluble materials in liquids. However, here we show that when pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes pre-dispersed in water are subject to vortex-shaking for very short periods (typically 10-60s, power density ∼0.002WmL), re-aggregation counterintuitively occurs.

Graphite-to-Graphene: Total Conversion.

The rush to develop graphene applications mandates mass production of graphene sheets. However, the currently available complex and expensive production technologies are limiting the graphene commercialization. The addition of a protective diluent to graphite during ball-milling is demonstrated to result in a game-changer yield (>90%) of defect-free graphene, whose size is controlled by the milling energy and the diluent type.

Graphene-Based Hybrid Composites for Efficient Thermal Management of Electronic Devices.

Thermal management has become a critical aspect in next-generation miniaturized electronic devices. Efficient heat dissipation reduces their operating temperatures and insures optimal performance, service life, and efficacy. Shielding against shocks, vibrations, and moisture is also imperative when the electronic circuits are located outdoors.

Dispersing Carbon Nanotubes with Ionic Surfactants under Controlled Conditions: Comparisons and Insight.

A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms involved in the surfactant-assisted exfoliation and dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in water calls for well-controlled experimental methodologies and reliable comparative metrics. We have assessed the ability of several ionic surfactants to disperse single and multiwalled carbon nanotubes, resorting to a stringently controlled sonication-centrifugation method for the preparation of the dispersions. The CNT concentration was accurately measured for a wide range of surfactant concentration, using combined thermogravimetric analysis and UV-vis spectroscopy.

Critical parameters in exfoliating graphite into graphene.

Dispersing graphite into few-layers graphene sheets (GS) in water is very appealing as an environmental-friendly, low-cost, low-energy method of obtaining graphene. Very high GS concentrations in water (0.7 mg mL(-1)) were obtained by optimizing the nature of dispersant and the type of ultra-sonic generator.