Graphene Oxide–Polymer Hydrogel: Wettability and Sound Absorption

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a nanocomposite as a humidity-sensitive sound absorber. The nanocomposites were prepared using hydrogel polymer (HP) as a matrix and graphene oxide (GO) as a filler. Results show that the surface energy of the nanocomposite is 58.4 mJm-2, and GO sheets increase the nanocomposite porosity from 2.6716 cm2 g-1 (for HP) up to 3.246 cm2 g-1. In addition, the diameter of nanocomposite pores is 8.5202 nm lower than that of HP (10.274 nm). To study the effect of humidity on the sound absorption, we exposed them to moisture for 30 and 60 min and then measured sound absorption. Results show an absorption peak for the HP at 1022 Hz with an attenuation value of 30%, while nanocomposite shows two main peaks around 1898 and 3300 Hz. In addition, results show that sound absorption peaks shift to higher frequency according to humidification time.