Morphology, mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of hydrogenated nitrile rubber/hydroxy-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes/ionic liquid composites: The effect of ionic liquid content

In order to achieve good morphological, mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of a polymer electrolyte, ionic-liquid-in-polymer electrolytes have been explored. It was found that 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate (BMPyBF4), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMImTFSI), and 1- butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMPyTFSI) in hydroxy-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT–OH) reinforced poly(acrylonitrile-co-1,3-butadiene) (HNBR) produce homogeneous solids with different ionic liquid contents. HNBR/MWCNT–OH/ionic liquid solid electrolytes were prepared by melt compounding of the nanotubes in the rubber, mixing with curing system, curing, and immersion in the ionic liquid. In the presence of 12.9 wt% of the curing system, these HNBR-based electrolytes displayed elastomeric properties and high tensile strength (up to 26 MPa). HNBR/MWCNT–OH/ionic liquid nanocomposites had the elongation at break up to 508% at the room temperature, for ionic liquid concentrations up to 17 wt%. Thermal analysis showed that Tg of HNBR/MWCNT–OH/BMPyTFSI systems is well decreased as a function of decreasing polymer content.

Keywords:

Hydrogenated nitrile rubber , Hydroxy-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes , Ionic liquid