TITLE:
Synthesis of Electroconducting Hydroxy-Sodalite/Graphite Composite: Preparation and Characterization
AUTHORS:
Rima Alomari, Muayed Esaifan, Mohammed Khair Hourani, Hiba Al Amayreh, Mohammed Amayreh, Hani Khoury
KEYWORDS:
Kaolinite, Graphite, Composite Inorganic Polymers, Electroconductive Composites
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Materials Physics and Chemistry,
Vol.9 No.3,
March
15,
2019
ABSTRACT:
Electroconductive
hydroxy-sodalite/graphite composites were synthesized by alkali-activation of
kaolinite in the presence of sodium hydroxide as the alkali activator and
graphite as a conductive filler. Thermal, morphological and microstructural
properties in addition to direct current (D.C.) conductivity of the prepared
composites were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode
(FTIR/ATR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope/energy
dispersive using X-ray analysis (SEM/EDX) and DC conductivity measurements were
used to characterize the prepared composites. The effect of the
hydroxyl-sodalite-to-graphite and NaOH-to-kaolinite ratios on the electrical
conductivity was investigated and evaluated on the generated composite
specimens made of Jordanian kaolinite or pure kaolinite. It was demonstrated
that increasing the mass ratio of graphite-to-kaolinite in the clay-based
composites increased the electrical conductivity of the resultant composites.
It was also observed that using 1:1 graphite-to-pure kaolinite mass ratio
showed the best electrical conductivity value of 3 × 10-3 s/cm, among the other mass ratios used for pure
kaolinite specimens, while using 1:1 mass ratio of graphite-to-Jordanian
kaolinite showed a conductivity of 1.6 s/cm.