Novel fillers for wearable technology: Impact of titanium carbide and thinners on room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber composites

Wearable technology has emerged as a robust pathway to achieve smart functionalities in healthcare, sports, fitness, and beyond. This study investigates the mechanical and electromechanical properties of silicone rubber (SR) composites. The SR was reinforced with titanium carbide (TiC) and modified with varying (room-temperature vulcanized) RTV-thinner (silicone oil) concentrations. RTV-SR was utilized, which cures at room temperature to form a flexible, durable, and moldable rubber widely used for sealing, bonding, and making molds. The addition of TiC enhanced tensile strength from 0.5 MPa (control) to 0.59 MPa (5 phr of TiC), and tensile modulus from 0.41 MPa to 0.51 MPa. However, the thinner inclusion reduced tensile properties. For instance, the T10 sample (10 phr thinner) showed a tensile strength of 0.51 MPa and a tensile modulus of 0.29 MPa making the composites soft. Thinner addition also increased ductility, with fracture strains rising from 151 % (control) to 217 % (T10). Compressive strength followed a similar trend, with the control and 5 phr TiC samples exhibiting compressive strengths of 0.18 MPa and 0.17 MPa, respectively, which decreased to 0.12 MPa for the T20 sample. Under cyclic loading, TiC-filled samples showed consistent load patterns, while thinner addition resulted in increased energy dissipation and reduced stiffness. Electromechanical analysis revealed that TiC 5 phr samples exhibited stable piezoelectric responses, with voltage outputs increasing from +0.1 mV at 15 % strain to +1.0 mV at 40% strain. The T5 samples demonstrated significant voltage improvements, generating +2.5 mV at 15 % strain and +5 mV at 40 % strain. Long-term cyclic tests confirmed the stability of T5 samples, maintaining voltage outputs of-1.5 mV to 1.5 mV over 50 minutes. Response time analysis indicated faster response times for TiC 5 phr samples, decreasing from 145 ms at 15 % strain to 102 ms at 40 % strain, while thinner addition led to longer response times. Real-time electromechanical tests under mechanical study showed that T5 samples achieved optimal performance with voltage peaks up to +/- 2.4 mV under thumb pressing. These findings highlight the trade-off between mechanical strength and flexibility, suggesting that an optimal balance of TiC and thinner enhances the properties of silicone rubber composites for applications in wearable technology and sensors.