Graphene Oxide/Silicon Rubber/PLA as a Conductive Thermoplastic Vulcanizates

Conductive TPV nanocomposites based on graphene oxide (GO) filled silicon rubber (SR)/poly(lactic acid)(PLA) thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) were prepared by both modified (MGO) and unmodified GO (UMGO). The electrical resistivity,  mechanical properties, and also fracture surface morphology of the TPV sample were investigated. The result indicates the high aggregation of UMGO but the more uniform dispersion of MGO in TPV samples. Furthermore, the MGO-contained TPV exhibits better mechanical performance but a lower conductivity penetration threshold. The penetration threshold of the MGO-TPVs is 12.1%. This research introduces an easy melt mixing method to fabricate conductive TPV with enhanced conductivity and better overall properties.