Scratch Resistance of New Polystyrene Nanocomposites with Ionic Liquid-Modified Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes, both neat (MWCNT) and modified (MWCNTm) by the room-temperature ionic liquid (IL) 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([OMIM]BF₄), were added in a 1 wt% to polystyrene (PS) to obtain the new nanocomposites (PS + MWCNT and PS + MWCNTm). Friction coefficients and abrasive wear from instantaneous penetration depth, residual depth and viscoelastic recovery were determined for compression-moulded materials as a function of applied normal load and of the number of successive scratches. The new nanocomposites improve the abrasion resistance of neat PS and of the analogous PS nanocomposites containing neat and IL-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes. The lowest friction coefficient and residual depth values, after 15 scratches, under the whole range of applied loads are obtained for PS + MWCNTm, with maximum reduction under the most severe conditions. The influence of sliding direction with respect to flow was studied for injection-moulded PS + MWCNTm under multiple scratching. The most severe surface damage is observed in the transverse direction to injection flow, while the lowest friction coefficient and the highest abrasion resistance and viscoelastic recovery values are obtained in the direction parallel to injection flow, due to the higher mobility of the polymer chains and the additives. Thermal analysis (DSC and TGA), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and XPS surface analysis have been used as characterization techniques. XPS shows that the IL molecules are present on the nanotube surface. According to TGA, the IL content in MWCNTm can be estimated to be of a 12 wt%. Mechanisms of surface damage are discussed upon scanning electron microscopy, 3-D surface topography, surface roughness and profilometry observations.     

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded CNT-reinforced nanocomposite beam using Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach

This work deals with the effect of agglomeration and distribution of carbon nanotube on the free vibration characteristics of a functionally graded nanocomposite beams reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by employing an equivalent fiber based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach. Different SWCNTs distributions in the thickness directions are introduced to improve fundamental natural frequency of polymer composite beam. The micromechanics models used in the study include a two parameter model of agglomeration. An embedded carbon nanotube in a polymer matrix and its surrounding inter-phase is replaced with an equivalent fiber for predicting the mechanical properties of the carbon nanotube/polymer composite. The system of equations of motion is derived by using the principle of virtual work under the assumptions of the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The finite element method is employed to obtain a numerical approximation of the motion equation. Numerical results are presented in both tabular and graphical forms to figure out the effects of nanotube agglomeration, CNTs distribution and boundary conditions on the dynamic characteristics of the beam. The above mentioned effects play very important role on the dynamic behavior of the beam.     

Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach for vibrational behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced plate resting on elastic foundation

In this study, based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, free vibration characteristics of functionally graded (FG) nanocomposite plates reinforced by randomly-oriented straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) resting on an elastic foundation are considered. Material properties are graded in the thickness direction of the plate according to the volume fraction power law distribution. An embedded carbon nanotube (CNT) in a polymer matrix and its surrounding inter-phase which is perfectly bonded to surrounding resin is replaced with an equivalent fiber to predict the mechanical properties of the carbon nanotube/polymer composite. The Mori-Tanaka approach is employed to calculate the effective elastic moduli of the plate. The natural frequencies of the plate are obtained by means of the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method. Detailed parametric studies have been carried out to investigate the influences of the CNT volume fraction, Winkler foundation modulus, shear elastic foundation modulus and various geometrical parameters on the vibration behavior of the functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced (FG-CNTR) plates.     

Effect of carbon nanotube addition on the tribological behavior of carbon/carbon composites

Carbon nanotube composite coatings were applied onto carbon/carbon composites to improve wear properties. Carbon nanotubes have been prepared by catalytic pyrolysis of hydrocarbons. The nanotube slurry was prepared by addition of phenolic resin and solvent to infiltrate into C/C composites. The nanotube added composites were then carbonized in a nitrogen atmosphere. Ball-on-disc type wear tests were performed to evaluate the tribological properties of the carbon nanotube added carbon composites. The result showed that addition of nanotube has the potential to increase the wear resistance of carbon composites. Changes in Raman spectra, morphology and surface damage were studied to explain observed wear behavior.     

Tribological Investigation of MC PA6 Reinforced by Boron Nitride of Single Layer

Monomer casting polyamide 6 (MC PA6)/boron nitride of single layer (SBN) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by in situ ring-opening polymerization. SBN was prepared by sonication assisted with solution beforehand. Studies on frictional and wear performance of the nanocomposites were carried out on a block-on-ring tester. The results showed that the nanocomposites had lower wear rates and friction coefficients in comparison with neat MC PA6. The incorporation of 0.25 wt% SBN into MC PA6 significantly reduced wear and friction under dry sliding; however, with further increasing the SBN loading, both wear rate and friction coefficient began to increase. The SEM micrographs of the worn surface revealed their friction and wear mechanisms. Pure MCPA6 was characterized by severe lamellar spalling with adhesive wear being the major wear form which caused high friction and wear. The wear modes of the nanocomposites became mainly abrasive wear with lower content of SBN and displayed fatigue wear with higher content of SBN. The morphology of a uniform transfer film on the counterpart ring and fine wear debris for the nanocomposites corresponded to the improved tribological performance.     

Influence of the multi-walled carbon nanotube and short carbon fibre composition on tribological properties of epoxy composites

The present research work deals with the development of a novel polymer composite for brake pad applications. The composite that was used consists of epoxy resin, carbon fibre and carbon nanotubes in varying weight percentage. The tribological performance of three different samples was tested using a pin-on-disc under dry contact condition. The results indicated that the sample filled with short carbon fibres (SCF), and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) had superior performance. Reduction in wear rate was observed due to synergism between SCF and MWCNT as compared to SCF only. Scanning electron microscopy was subsequently performed on all samples. The micrographs show changes in the structural formation after the incorporation of SCFs and MWCNT. This increased composite structural strength and explains why SCF and MWCNT’s hybrid-filled composite material has better tribological properties.     

Friction and dry sliding wear of bismaleimide filled with carbon nanotubes

Three types of bismaleimide–carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanocomposites were fabricated using two types of original multiwalled CNTs with different diameters and one amide functionalized CNTs. The influence of diameter, content and functionalization of CNTs on the flexural and dry sliding wear behaviour were measured with universal testing machine and pin-on-disc wear apparatus. The experimental results indicated that at 1.5 wt-%, the bismaleimide-functionalized MWCNTs exhibited highest flexural strength of 156 MPa which is increased by 164% as compared to the neat matrix, and lowest specific wear rate of 1.8 × 10^?4 mm³ N^?1 m^?1 which is decreased by 90% as compared to the neat matrix. This was attributed to the dispersion of CNTs in the matrix and the filler-matrix adhesion and internal strength of the composite.     

双壁碳纳米管轴承移动摩擦特性的理论研究

基于分子动力学方法对双壁碳纳米管轴承的移动摩擦特性进行了理论研究。针对双壁碳纳米管轴承的结构和物理模型,使用经验势函数分析了双壁碳纳米管轴承的管间交互作用势和交互作用力。建立碳纳米管轴承移动动力学模型,采用数值模拟方法,研究不同长度、半径和内外纳米管质心相对位移对纳米管轴承移动阻尼系数的影响,并给出双壁碳纳米管轴承移动阻尼系数与长度、半径和质心相对位移的定量关系。     

尼龙6/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的摩擦学特性及磨损机理

用熔融插层法制备了不同蒙脱土含量的尼龙6/蒙脱土纳米复合材料,并与45钢进行了环块对磨试验.结果表明：该材料与45钢对磨的摩擦因数随有机蒙脱土含量的增加而减小;纯尼龙6和2%有机蒙脱土复合材料的磨损属于机械和粘着磨损;4%有机蒙脱土复合材料的磨损属于疲劳磨损;6%和8%有机蒙脱土复合材料的磨损以机械磨损为主;10%蒙脱土复合材料的磨损主要以疲劳磨损为主.     

The structure of nanocomposite 1D cationic conductor crystal@SWNT

Nanocomposites consisting of one-dimensional (1D) crystals of the cationic conductors CuI, CuBr and AgBr inside single-walled carbon nanotubes, mainly (n, 0), were obtained using the capillary technique. 1D crystal structure models were proposed based on the high resolution transmission electron microscopy performed on a FEI Titan 80-300 at 80 kV with aberration correction. According to the models and image simulations there are two modifications of 1D crystal: hexagonal close-packed bromine (iodine) anion sublattice (growth direction <001>) and 1D crystal cubic structure (growth direction <112>) compressed transversely to the nanotube (D(m) ～1.33 nm) axis. Tentatively this kind of 1D crystal can be considered as monoclinic. One modification of the anion sublattice reversibly transforms into the other inside the nanotube, probably initiated by electron beam heating. As demonstrated by micrographs, copper or silver cations can occupy octahedral positions or are statistically distributed across two tetrahedral positions. A 1DAgBr@SWNT (18, 0; 19, 0) pseudoperiodic 'lattice distortion' is revealed resulting from convolution of the nanotube wall function image with 1D cubic crystal function image.     

Fabrication of patterned single-walled carbon nanotube films using electrophoretic deposition

Thin films of chemically functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were fabricated by using a direct current (dc) electrophoretic deposition method. SWNTs were shortened and then functionalized with acid chloride group to combine with the amine group-terminated gold substrate. Silica nanospheres with a diameter of about 190nm were arrayed on gold substrate to pattern a thin SWNT film. Periodically patterned SWNT film was eventually produced and would be used in potential applications like electron emitters and large surface area electrodes.     

多壁碳纳米管在不同表面功能基团自组装膜上的沉积

制备了表面功能基团为氨基和甲基的自组装膜,将不同表面功能基团自组装膜浸入多壁碳纳米管分散液中沉积,实验观察到,表面为氨基的APTES自组装膜对分散液中的碳纳米管有静电吸附作用而均匀吸附一层碳纳米管,表面为甲基的OTS自组装膜对分散液碳纳米管有排斥作用力而没有吸附碳纳米管,这一实验对利用单根碳纳米管构造纳米电子器件与纳米机械具有重要意义。     

Field-dependent electron emission patterns from individual SWCNTs simulated with a multi-scale algorithm

The electron distribution of open-ended single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with chirality indexes (7,0) and (5,5) in field emission conditions was calculated via a multi-scaled algorithm. The field emission images were produced numerically. It was found that the emission patterns change with the applied macroscopic field. Especially, the symmetry of the emission pattern of the (7,0) carbon nanotube is breaking in the lower field but the breaking is less obvious in the higher field. The magnification factor increases with the applied macroscopic field.     

An investigation of the machinability of PA 6/nano-CaCO3 composite

Nowadays, polymer nanocomposites have attracted manufacturers’ attention because of their good mechanical, thermal, and physical properties. Over the past decade, the requirement of the direct machining of polymer nanocomposites has increased due to the production of most polymer nanocomposites using the extrusion method in simple cross-section and the increased demand for personalized products. In this paper, the effect of milling parameters (spindle speed and feed per tooth) and nano-CaCO₃ content on the machinability properties of PA 6/nano-CaCO₃ composites was studied by analyzing variance. Harmony search-based neural network (HSNN) was then utilized to create predictive models of surface roughness and total cutting forces from the experimental data. The results revealed that the nano-CaCO₃ content on PA 6 decreased the cutting forces significantly, but did not have a significant effect on surface roughness. Moreover, the results for modeling total cutting forces and surface roughness showed that HSNN is effective, reliable, and authoritative in modeling the surface roughness formation and total cutting force mechanism for end-milling of PA 6/nano-CaCO₃ composites.     

Structure of carbon nanotube-based nanocomposites

The structure of nanocomposites fabricated using carbon nanotube templates using transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy will be described here. Examples for filled, network substituted and uniformly coated nanotubes will be described. The novelty of such nanocomposite structures and their possible role in future technology will be discussed.     

管状波导−单壁碳纳米管太赫兹透射光谱研究

单壁碳纳米管是新一代透明导电材料,具有许多特殊的光学、电学和机械特性,在多种领域应用广泛。为此通过电弧法制备了单壁碳纳米管并进一步与有机玻璃（PMMA）管状波导集成,经实验和模拟研究了基于管状波导的单壁碳纳米管太赫兹透射光谱特性。研究结果表明,单壁碳纳米管可以使管状波导的太赫兹共振增强,可有效提高共振消光比,而石墨烯和炭黑对管状波导的太赫兹透射光谱几乎没有影响。     

碳纳米管/环氧树脂复合材料研究

将碳纳米管加入到环氧树脂中，经超声分散处理制得复合材料。研究了碳纳米管的加入量与分散程度对材料抗拉强度的影响。研究表明：碳纳米管的加入量小于3％时可有效提高复合材料的抗拉强度，加入量为1．7％，抗拉强度达到最高值52．38MPa，比纯环氧树脂(26．40MPa)提高98．4％。     

UHMWPE Hybrid Nanocomposites for Improved Tribological Performance Under Dry and Water-Lubricated Sliding Conditions

To tap the full potential of polymers to be used as tribo-materials under water lubrication, it is very important to improve their resistance to water uptake on the one hand and improve their strength and load bearing capacity on the other so that their performance under these conditions is not deteriorated. Hence, a unique approach of fabricating a hybrid polymer nanocomposite reinforced with nanoclay for improving the resistance to water uptake and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to improve the mechanical/tribological properties is undertaken. Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) hybrid nanocomposites were fabricated via ball milling followed by hot pressing method. Functionalized multi-wall CNTs and C15A organoclay were used as nanofillers in UHMWPE matrix. Hybrid nanocomposites were developed with CNT loadings of 0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 wt% while keeping C15A organoclay content fixed at an optimized value of 1.5 wt%. Initially, the hybrid nanocomposites were optimized under dry sliding conditions whereby a loading of 1.5 wt% of CNTs and 1.5 wt% C15A organoclay resulted in the maximum reduction in the specific wear rate by about 64% as compared to pristine UHMWPE. Later, tribological performance of the optimized hybrid nanocomposite was compared with pristine UHMWPE and its UHMWPE nanocomposites under water-lubricated conditions sliding against a 440C stainless steel ball for 150,000 cycles. The specific wear rate showed a reduction by ~46% for the 1.5 wt% CNTs hybrid nanocomposites as compared to pristine UHMWPE under water lubrication. The improved resistance to wear was attributed to the uniform dispersion of both the nanofillers, namely CNTs and C15A organoclay which effectively increased the load bearing capacity of UHMWPE. Moreover, the excellent barrier properties of the platelet-like structure of C15A clay which presented a torturous path for the diffusion of the water molecule in UHMWPE reduced the softening of the surface layer leading to better resistance to wear under water lubrication.     

Predictive carbon nanotube models using the eigenvector dimension reduction (EDR) method

It has been reported that a carbon nanotube (CNT) is one of the strongest materials with its high failure stress and strain. Moreover, the nanotube has many favorable features, such as high toughness, great flexibility, low density, and so on. This discovery has opened new opportunities in various engineering applications, for example, a nanocomposite material design. However, recent studies have found a substantial discrepancy between computational and experimental material property predictions, in part due to defects in the fabricated nanotubes. It is found that the nanotubes are highly defective in many different formations (e.g., vacancy, dislocation, chemical, and topological defects). Recent parametric studies with vacancy defects have found that the vacancy defects substantially affect mechanical properties of the nanotubes. Given random existence of the nanotube defects, the material properties of the nanotubes can be better understood through statistical modeling of the defects. This paper presents predictive CNT models, which enable to estimate mechanical properties of the CNTs and the nanocomposites under various sources of uncertainties. As the first step, the density and location of vacancy defects will be randomly modeled to predict mechanical properties. It has been reported that the eigenvector dimension reduction (EDR) method performs probability analysis efficiently and accurately. In this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with a modified Morse potential model is integrated with the EDR method to predict the mechanical properties of the CNTs. To demonstrate the feasibility of the predicted model, probabilistic behavior of mechanical properties (e.g., failure stress, failure strain, and toughness) is compared with the precedent experiment results.     

MULTI-WALL CARBON NANOTUBE-BASED DNA NANOSENSOR FOR DETERMINING MITOXANTRONE-DNA INTERACTION IN-VITRO

The present study involves the development of a carbon nanotube based DNA nanosensor to determine the toxicological behavior of mitoxantrone (MTX). Mitoxantrone intercalates with DNA and produces a MTX-DNA adduct, resulting in the blockade of protein synthesis and excessive production of free radicals in the myocardium which eventually leads to cardiac toxicity. So, our work employs a DNA nanosensor to investigate the interaction of MTX with DNA. Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with carboxyl group and were used for immobilization of DNA to construct the DNA nanosensor. The DNA nanosensor was immersed in MTX solution to monitor MTX-DNA interaction with respect to time and alter the resistance of the nanosensor. It was observed that MTX-DNA interaction is fast initially and as time elapses, the change in interaction gets slow due to formation of MTX-DNA adduct. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found as 150 (ng/mL) and 456 (ng/mL), respectively, for DNA nanosensor. This study suggests that the potentiometric nanosensor allows real-time monitoring of the drug-DNA interaction changes by measuring the potential at DNA/sensor interface which can prove to be an important tool in drug discovery pipelines and molecular toxicology.