Graphene-Enhanced Fluoroelastomer Composites for Advanced Applications

Fluoroelastomers are widely used in applications requiring resistance to high temperatures, aggressive chemicals, and elevated pressure conditions, enabling efficient applications in harsh environments. The incorporation of graphene has shown potential to enhance the mechanical and thermal performance, resulting in more efficient composites. However, graphene incorporation remains a challenge due to the difficulty of dispersing graphene sheets within the rubber matrix. This research developed fluoroelastomer composites with 1, 2, and 3 phr of graphene using both the melt blending method and the solvent-assisted method with acetonitrile to incorporate graphene. The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), as well as Shore A hardness and tensile testing. FT-IR indicated the complete removal of acetonitrile and similar spectra among all of the composites, indicating that the solvent method does not chemically modify the samples. SEM and EDS analyses revealed overall similar morphologies among the samples; however, composites containing 2 and 3 phr of graphene processed via the solvent-assisted method exhibited a more pronounced surface roughness. TGA indicated up to a 38% increase in initial degradation resistance in composites with 2 and 3 phr incorporated via the solvent method. In dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests, samples with 3 phr exhibited higher energy dissipation at -30 °C and a higher T _g (11.8 °C) when prepared using the solvent method. Shore A hardness decreased by up to 11.8% in samples from the standard method. In tensile testing, the 3 phr sample via solvent incorporation exhibited the best performance, with a tensile strength of 21.74 MPa and intermediate elongation. These results indicate that the improvements achieved through enhanced graphene dispersion result from restricted molecular chain mobility and more efficient stress transfer, enabled by strengthened interactions between graphene and the polymer matrix. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of developing more robust and efficient rubber composites to address the growing performance requirements of modern material applications.