title: Strong Strain Sensing Performance of Natural Rubber Nanocomposites.
abstract: A detail study concerning the strain (tensile) dependent electrical conductivity of elastomeric composites is reported in this present paper. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT), conducting carbon black (CB), and their combinations were considered as conducting filler in cross-linked natural rubber matrix. The loadings of the fillers were considered from 3 to 11 phr (filler concentration close to their percolation threshold). Without hindering the elastic nature of the composite (reversible stretchability up to several 100%), the change of relative resistance, ΔR/R0(ΔR is the change in the resistance with respect to strain and R0is the initial resistance of the sample) of the CB filled composites was found to be as much as ∼1300 at around 120% elongation. This value is much higher than any other reported values obtained from conducting polymeric composites. It was found that CNT offered a strong strain dependent character in the regime 100% to 150% elongation, whereas, the carbon black filled natural rubber showed strong strain dependencies at 50% to 100% elongation strain. The combination of two different fillers could be exploited to tailor and manipulate the sensing operating regime from 50% to 150% strain depending on the ratios of the two filler system. Additionally, after several loading-unloading cycles, the conductivity of the sample was very stable for CB filled system but for CNT filled system the conductivity of the sample was altered. This type of elastic materials could be used in structural health monitoring, sensors in different dynamic elastomeric parts like tires, valves, gaskets, engine mounts, etc.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.|Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaft , D-01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Tamil Selvan
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Natarajan
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.|Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaft , D-01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Subramani Bhagavatheswaran
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Eshwaran
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus Werner
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4237-3617
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Stöckelhuber
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.|Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaft , D-01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wießner
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6392-7880
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pötschke
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.|Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaft , D-01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heinrich
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Strasse 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.|Tampere University of Technology , Korkeakoulunkatu 16, Fi-33720 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2579-1369
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
keywords: carbon nanotubes; conductivity; hybrid nanocomposites; natural rubber; piezoresistivity; strain sensing