Tetramethylammonium hydroxide modified MXene as a functional nanofiller for electrical and thermal conductive rubber composites

Ti3C2 MXene with super conductivities can be used in polymer nanocomposites. However, MXene is difficult to disperse uniformly in polymer matrics due to their high surface energy, weakening the filler-rubber interfacial interaction. Herein, functional Ti3C2 (ƒ-Ti3C2) with single-layer and high surface charge loading was prepared by modifying Ti3C2 with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH). A novel mechanical mixing and freeze-drying method was provided to fabricate styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/ƒ-Ti3C2 nanocomposites. Compared with the same content of Ti3C2 (3.85 wt%), SBR/ƒ-Ti3C2 exhibited better properties. For instance, ƒ-Ti3C2 endows the SBR composites with high tensile strength of 13.7 MPa (enhanced by 479%), electrical conductivity of 3.74 × 10-4 S/m (improved by 116%), and thermal conductivity of 0.659 W m-1·k-1. Besides, the wet skid resistance of SBR/ƒ-Ti3C2 nanocomposites was remarkably enhanced and the rolling resistance was decreased. Hence, ƒ-Ti3C2 has more potential for fabricating high-performance elastomer nanocomposites, especially for conductive elastomer composites.