Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber Film with Activated Carbon for Energy Harvesting

Abstract

The empowerment of energy harvesting natural rubber films can be done by using a high conductivity activated carbon. Three types of the activated carbon in this work are the commercial activated carbon (AC_Carbon), the activated carbon from Bamboo (AC_Bamboo) and the activated carbon from Mimosa (AC_Mimosa). The results show that the particle of AC_Mimosa are great dispersion in a natural rubber matrix, following by AC_Bamboo and AC_Carbon, respectively. The surface roughness of the natural rubber filled AC_Mimosa, AC_Bamboo and AC_Carbon are 69.2 nm, 123.1 nm and 142.0 nm, respectively. Natural rubber films containing active carbon from bamboo have the highest value of 0.30 MPa. While the dielectric constant of the natural rubber film mixed with carbon from Mimosa has the highest value of 26.4, followed by natural rubber film containing activated carbon from Bamboo at 25.0 and natural rubber films that mixed with the commercial activated carbon has the lowest dielectric constant at 24.3. Resulting that the ability of harvest energy from natural rubber films containing activated carbon from Mimosa is the highest at lowest frequency.