Smart multifunctional elastomeric nanocomposite materials containing graphene nanoplatelets

Pristine polyurea elastomers are usually limited by insufficient strength and lack of functionality. Smart, multifunctional and mechanically resilient nanocomposites were manufactured in this study by compounding functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (F-GNPs) with polyurea via in situ polymerization. This was followed by investigation of the mechanical properties, resistance to chemical media, electrical conductivity and sensing performance of the nanocomposites. A nanocomposite at 0.2 ​wt% of F-GNPs exhibited improvements in tensile strength (60.7%) and elongation (92.1%) as well as obviously enhanced impact performance. The nanocomposite was then investigated as a multifunctional sensor, which exhibited high stretchability with a large workable strain range (5%) and good cyclic stability (9100 cycles). As a temperature sensor, the nanocomposite demonstrated high repeatability and stability in response to cyclic changes from −20 ​°C to 110 ​°C. Its self-sensing capability made possible detecting and tracking its own damage at varying impact levels.