Electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of silicone foam composites filled with carbon-based nanofillers

It is critical to develop a new method to prepare engineered carbon-based fillers for high-performance applications. In this article, the functional nanocarbon-based fillers (FG-M) composed of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by a simple self-assembly reaction under the existence of triethoxyvinylsilane. Based on the FG-M fillers, the silicone foam composites (FG-M/SF) were prepared, and the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. Results showed that the FG-M could effectively improve the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the composites compared with the single-filler system (GO/SF and MWNTs/SF). Especially, the composites exhibited the best synergistic effect on electrically, thermal and mechanical enhancement while the ratio of MWNTs and GO was close to 1:1. Moreover, the effect of type and content of fillers on the rheological properties and density of the composites was also studied. The result showed that the FG-M/SF system has good thixotropic and foaming performance. The FG-M filler will have a good application prospect in the preparation of high-performance SF composites.