Polydimethylsiloxane/Nanodiamond Composite Sponge for Enhanced Mechanical or Wettability Performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a versatile polymer used across various scientific disciplines.
• Composite materials offer enhanced properties through the incorporation of fillers.
• Nanodiamonds (ND) are promising fillers due to their unique characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of nanodiamond surface termination on PDMS composite properties.
• To explore the potential of PDMS/nanodiamond composites for mechanical enhancement and oil/water separation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PDMS composites using oxidized (oND) and reduced (rND) nanodiamond fillers.
• Characterization of mechanical properties (compressive Young's modulus) and surface wettability (water contact angle).
• Evaluation of PDMS/rND composite performance in oil/water separation.

Main Results:

• Oxidized nanodiamonds significantly increased the compressive Young's modulus of PDMS sponges by up to 52%.
• Surface wettability of PDMS sponges remained unaffected by oxidized nanodiamonds.
• Reduced nanodiamonds altered the wettability of PDMS composites, leading to inclined water contact angles.
• PDMS/rND composites demonstrated effectiveness as absorbents for oil/water separation.

Conclusions:

• The surface termination of nanodiamond fillers critically influences the performance of PDMS composites.
• Tailoring nanodiamond surface chemistry allows for targeted modification of PDMS properties for specific applications.