RECENT ADVANCES IN MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL PREDICTION OF PROPERTIES OF GRAPHENE REINFORCED NATURAL RUBBER COMPOSITES: A REVIEW (PART 1)

Abstract

This review provides an overview of research done in the area of rubber-based nanocomposite materials. The main focus of the article is reviewing the characteristics of graphene (GE) as a reinforcing material. The review covers the recent development in dispersion techniques for the inclusion of GE in the rubber matrix. An alternative, or pre-experimental procedure of molecular dynamics simulation to reduce the cost and wastage as well as to open the vast field of study in this area, has been proposed. The effect of volume fraction, weight percentage, and functionalization of filler on the properties of rubber composites has also been discussed. The elastic modulus, as well as the thermal conductivity of GE/NR composites, were found to be superior in comparison to the graphene oxide (GO) and rGO reinforced natural rubber (NR) composites. The tensile strength of GE/NR composites increased significantly at lower parts per hundred rubber (phr) values (0.3-1.5) whereas the properties did not increase significantly at higher phr values of GE. This review article also encourages additional research in the area of interest, intending to assist researchers to conduct the study in this field, leading to the development and progress in the mechanical, thermal, and other properties of rubber nanocomposites and their applications.