Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning

The development of polymer composites enhanced with carbon-based additives has been investigated to reinforce their applicability in energy-related systems. Conductive fillers, such as graphene, Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs), and Short-cut Carbon Fibers (SCFs), were incorporated into a Polydimethylsiloxa...

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Main Authors: Juan Chen, Khidhair Jasim Mohammed, Elimam Ali, Riadh Marzouki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Case Studies in Construction Materials
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525008976
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author Juan Chen
Khidhair Jasim Mohammed
Elimam Ali
Riadh Marzouki
author_facet Juan Chen
Khidhair Jasim Mohammed
Elimam Ali
Riadh Marzouki
author_sort Juan Chen
collection DOAJ
description The development of polymer composites enhanced with carbon-based additives has been investigated to reinforce their applicability in energy-related systems. Conductive fillers, such as graphene, Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs), and Short-cut Carbon Fibers (SCFs), were incorporated into a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix to enhance electrical conductivity and thermal performance. Experimental evaluations included four-probe electrical conductivity testing and self-heating measurements under varied input voltages (8–12 V). Results showed that composites containing 6 mm Carbon Fibers (CF), (Long-CNT) achieved the highest electrical conductivity of 1.8 S/m, significantly outperforming the CNT-only control (Base-CNT, 0.1 S/m). Correspondingly, the Long-CNT samples exhibited the fastest thermal response, with heating time constants (τg) as low as 70.01 s and peak surface temperatures exceeding 150 °C under 12 V input. To guide composite optimization, a hybrid Machine Learning (ML) framework combining Random Forest Regression (RFR) and Support Vector Regression (SVR) was developed. This stacked model was trained on 60 samples and achieved high predictive accuracy across all key outputs, including Coefficient of Determination (R²) = 0.985 for conductivity and R² > 0.95 for heating rate (Hr+c), τg, τd, and temperature. Feature importance analysis revealed that carbon fiber length and input voltage were the dominant factors influencing thermal-electrical performance. The model was also used to simulate untested CF–voltage configurations, identifying optimal engineering windows (e.g., 4.5 mm CF at 11 V) that balanced high heating efficiency with manageable power consumption. The integration of data-driven modeling with experimental validation enabled the accurate prediction and strategic tuning of composite properties. This work provides a scalable framework for designing high-performance, self-healing polymer nanocomposites for thermal management, sensing, and energy conversion applications.
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spelling doaj-art-b375b6d235594e539797c1c43d907c2c2025-08-20T02:58:27ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-12-0123e0509910.1016/j.cscm.2025.e05099Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learningJuan Chen0Khidhair Jasim Mohammed1Elimam Ali2Riadh Marzouki3Guangling college, Yangzhou university, Yangzhou, ChinaAir Conditioning and Refrigeration Techniques Engineering Department, Al-Mustaqbal University, Babylon 51001, Iraq; Corresponding author.Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 11942, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, 61413 Abha, Saudi ArabiaThe development of polymer composites enhanced with carbon-based additives has been investigated to reinforce their applicability in energy-related systems. Conductive fillers, such as graphene, Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs), and Short-cut Carbon Fibers (SCFs), were incorporated into a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix to enhance electrical conductivity and thermal performance. Experimental evaluations included four-probe electrical conductivity testing and self-heating measurements under varied input voltages (8–12 V). Results showed that composites containing 6 mm Carbon Fibers (CF), (Long-CNT) achieved the highest electrical conductivity of 1.8 S/m, significantly outperforming the CNT-only control (Base-CNT, 0.1 S/m). Correspondingly, the Long-CNT samples exhibited the fastest thermal response, with heating time constants (τg) as low as 70.01 s and peak surface temperatures exceeding 150 °C under 12 V input. To guide composite optimization, a hybrid Machine Learning (ML) framework combining Random Forest Regression (RFR) and Support Vector Regression (SVR) was developed. This stacked model was trained on 60 samples and achieved high predictive accuracy across all key outputs, including Coefficient of Determination (R²) = 0.985 for conductivity and R² > 0.95 for heating rate (Hr+c), τg, τd, and temperature. Feature importance analysis revealed that carbon fiber length and input voltage were the dominant factors influencing thermal-electrical performance. The model was also used to simulate untested CF–voltage configurations, identifying optimal engineering windows (e.g., 4.5 mm CF at 11 V) that balanced high heating efficiency with manageable power consumption. The integration of data-driven modeling with experimental validation enabled the accurate prediction and strategic tuning of composite properties. This work provides a scalable framework for designing high-performance, self-healing polymer nanocomposites for thermal management, sensing, and energy conversion applications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525008976Polymer nanocompositesCarbon-based additivesElectrical conductivitySelf-heating performanceMachine learning (ML) ModelingThermal-electrical optimization
spellingShingle Juan Chen
Khidhair Jasim Mohammed
Elimam Ali
Riadh Marzouki
Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
Case Studies in Construction Materials
Polymer nanocomposites
Carbon-based additives
Electrical conductivity
Self-heating performance
Machine learning (ML) Modeling
Thermal-electrical optimization
title Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
title_full Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
title_fullStr Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
title_full_unstemmed Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
title_short Carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
title_sort carbon additives to improve polymer performance in energy applications using machine learning
topic Polymer nanocomposites
Carbon-based additives
Electrical conductivity
Self-heating performance
Machine learning (ML) Modeling
Thermal-electrical optimization
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525008976
work_keys_str_mv AT juanchen carbonadditivestoimprovepolymerperformanceinenergyapplicationsusingmachinelearning
AT khidhairjasimmohammed carbonadditivestoimprovepolymerperformanceinenergyapplicationsusingmachinelearning
AT elimamali carbonadditivestoimprovepolymerperformanceinenergyapplicationsusingmachinelearning
AT riadhmarzouki carbonadditivestoimprovepolymerperformanceinenergyapplicationsusingmachinelearning