• Journal of Advanced Dielectrics
  • Vol. 13, Issue 1, 2242008 (2023)
Dongyang Sun1, Bernard L. H. Saw2, Amaka J. Onyianta3, Bowen Wang4, Callum Wilson1, Dominic O’Rourke1, Chan H. See1, Carmen-Mihaela Popescu5, Mark Dorris1, Islam Shyha1, and Zhilun Lu1、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1School of Engineering and Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
  • 2Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Kajang, Malaysia
  • 3Bristol Composites Institute, School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK
  • 4School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
  • 5Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Romanian Academy, Iasi, Romania
  • show less
    DOI: 10.1142/S2010135X22420085 Cite this Article
    Dongyang Sun, Bernard L. H. Saw, Amaka J. Onyianta, Bowen Wang, Callum Wilson, Dominic O’Rourke, Chan H. See, Carmen-Mihaela Popescu, Mark Dorris, Islam Shyha, Zhilun Lu. Preparation of elastomeric nanocomposites using nanocellulose and recycled alum sludge for flexible dielectric materials[J]. Journal of Advanced Dielectrics, 2023, 13(1): 2242008 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Flexible dielectric materials with environmental-friendly, low-cost and high-energy density characteristics are in increasing demand as the world steps into the new Industrial 4.0 era. In this work, an elastomeric nanocomposite was developed by incorporating two components: cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and recycled alum sludge, as the reinforcement phase and to improve the dielectric properties, in a bio-elastomer matrix. CNF and alum sludge were produced by processing waste materials that would otherwise be disposed to landfills. A biodegradable elastomer polydimethylsiloxane was used as the matrix and the nanocomposites were processed by casting the materials in Petri dishes. Nanocellulose extraction and heat treatment of alum sludge were conducted and characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravimetric (TGA/DTG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. When preparing the nanocomposite samples, various amount of alum sludge was added to examine their impact on the mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. Results have shown that it could be a sustainable practice of reusing such wastes in preparing flexible, lightweight and miniature dielectric materials that can be used for energy storage applications.Flexible dielectric materials with environmental-friendly, low-cost and high-energy density characteristics are in increasing demand as the world steps into the new Industrial 4.0 era. In this work, an elastomeric nanocomposite was developed by incorporating two components: cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and recycled alum sludge, as the reinforcement phase and to improve the dielectric properties, in a bio-elastomer matrix. CNF and alum sludge were produced by processing waste materials that would otherwise be disposed to landfills. A biodegradable elastomer polydimethylsiloxane was used as the matrix and the nanocomposites were processed by casting the materials in Petri dishes. Nanocellulose extraction and heat treatment of alum sludge were conducted and characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravimetric (TGA/DTG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. When preparing the nanocomposite samples, various amount of alum sludge was added to examine their impact on the mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. Results have shown that it could be a sustainable practice of reusing such wastes in preparing flexible, lightweight and miniature dielectric materials that can be used for energy storage applications.
    Dongyang Sun, Bernard L. H. Saw, Amaka J. Onyianta, Bowen Wang, Callum Wilson, Dominic O’Rourke, Chan H. See, Carmen-Mihaela Popescu, Mark Dorris, Islam Shyha, Zhilun Lu. Preparation of elastomeric nanocomposites using nanocellulose and recycled alum sludge for flexible dielectric materials[J]. Journal of Advanced Dielectrics, 2023, 13(1): 2242008
    Download Citation