Fabrication and mechanical properties of well-dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes/epoxy composites

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated by using ultrasonication and the cast molding method. In this process, MWCNTs modified by mixed acids were well dispersed and highly loaded in an epoxy matrix. The effects of MWCNTs addition and surface modification on the mechanical performances and fracture morphologies of composites were investigated. It was found that the tensile strength improved with the increase of MWCNTs addition, and when the content of MWCNTs loading reached 8 wt.%, the tensile strength reached the highest value of 69.7 MPa. In addition, the fracture strain also enhanced distinctly, implying that MWCNTs loading not only elevated the tensile strength of the epoxy matrix, but also increased the fracture toughness. Nevertheless, the elastic modulus reduced with the increase of MWCNTs loading. The reasons for the mechanical property changes are discussed.     

Effect of imidazolium phosphate and multiwalled carbon nanotubes on thermal stability and flame retardancy of polylactide

A series of composites based on polylactide (PLA), have been prepared by melt-blending with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) and Tri(1-hydroxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) phosphate (IP) functionalized MWNT (MIP). The morphology, thermal stability and burning behavior of the composites were investigated by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Cone Calorimeter Test (CCT), respectively. Significant improvement in fire retardant performance was observed for the PLA/MIP composite from CCT (reducing both the heat release rate and the total heat release) and TGA (increasing the char residue) compared to PLA/MWNT. SEM and Raman spectroscopy were utilized to explore the surface morphology and chemical structure of the char residues. It revealed that the catalytic charring effect of IP, the physical crosslinking effect of MWNT, and the combined effect of both IP and MWNT (forming continuous and compact char layers) were very efficient in improving the flame retarding properties of PLA/MIP composite.     

Investigation of structure,mechanical and tribological properties of short carbon fiber reinforced UHMWPE-matrix composites

Structural, mechanical and tribological properties of composite materials based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene reinforced with carbon fibers were investigated. The effect of surface modification of carbon fibers on the interaction at the fiber–matrix interface in UHMWPE based composites was studied. It was found that the thermal oxidation of carbon fibers by air oxygen at 500 °C can significantly enhance the interfacial interaction between the polymer matrix and carbon fibers. This allowed us to form composite materials with improved mechanical and tribological properties.     

Fluorinated graphene reinforced polyimide films with the improved thermal and mechanical properties

In order to explore the addition effect of fluorinated graphene (FG) on the mechanical and thermal performances of polyimide (PI) matrix, FG sheets are first prepared and employed as the nanofillers to construct PI/FG nanocomposite films. The prepared film is optically transparent at low content of FG and experimental results demonstrate that the addition of FG can effectively enhance the properties of PI matrix. Especially, compared with pure PI matrix, the addition of 0.5 wt% FG in PI can endow 30.4% increase in tensile stress and 115.2% increase in elongation at break. Experimental analyses considering the morphology and microstructure are also conducted, and the results indicate that the improved mechanical properties of the PI/FG nanocomposite films are mainly attributed to the good dispersibility of FG sheets in PI host, and the effective stress transfer between the polymer and the FG.     

Structure and properties of highly oriented polyoxymethylene/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites produced by hot stretching

Highly-oriented polyoxymethylene (POM)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites were fabricated through solid hot stretching technology. With the draw ratio as high as 900%, the oriented composites exhibited much improved thermal conductivity and mechanical properties along the stretching direction compared with that of the isotropic samples before drawing. The thermal conductivity of the composite with 11.6 vol.% MWCNTs can reach as high as 1.2 W/m K after drawing. Microstructure observation demonstrated that the POM matrix had an ordered fibrillar bundle structure and MWCNTs in the composite tended to align parallel to the stretching direction. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction results showed that the crystal axis of the POM matrix was preferentially oriented perpendicular to the draw direction, while MWCNTs were preferentially oriented parallel to the draw direction. The strong interaction between the POM matrix and the MWCNTs hindered the orientation movement of molecules of POM, but induced the orientation movement of MWCNTs.     

Effect of aspect ratio on thermal conductivity of high density polyethylene/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites

This study aims to investigate experimentally the effects of aspect ratio (length/diameter ratio) and concentration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on thermal properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE) based composites. The aspect ratios of two types of MWCNT fillers are in the range of 200–400 and 500–3000. Composite samples were prepared by melt mixing up to weight fraction of 19% filler content, followed by a compression molding. Measurements of density, specific heat and thermal diffusivity (by modulated photothermal radiometry, PTR) were performed and effective thermal conductivities k_e of nanocomposites were calculated using these values. The results show that the composites containing MWCNTs with higher aspect ratio have higher thermal conductivities than the ones with lower aspect ratio. In terms of conductivity enhancement k_e/k_m − 1, the results indicate that MWCNTs with higher aspect ratio provide three to fourfold larger enhancement than the ones with lower aspect ratio, at low filler concentrations.     

Effects of carbon nanotube aspect ratio on strengthening and tribological behavior of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene composite

Carbon-based nanomaterials are great choice as reinforcement to Ultra-High Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), with potential use in orthopedics. While high in-plane-stiffness and strength of these nanomaterials help in toughening, their weaker out-of-plane integrity offers lubrication. Present study investigates effect of aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes (CNT) on toughening and solid-lubrication efficiency of UHMWPE-matrix. A nominal 0.05–0.1 wt.% of CNT addition increases hardness and elastic modulus of UHMWPE by 3–45% and 8–42%, respectively. Higher aspect ratio (HAR) CNTs are found more effective in improving hardness and modulus of UHMWPE. Wear rate and friction-coefficient also increase by 530% and 220%, respectively, while reinforced with HAR CNTs. Thermal analysis shows slight increase in crystallinity and stability of composite. HAR CNTs improve interfacial bonding with matrix, due to their morphological similarity to polymer chains, as compared to low aspect ratio CNT. Aspect ratio of CNTs significantly dominates strengthening and tribological behavior of UHMWPE.     

Silane modification on mesoporous silica coated carbon nanotubes for improving compatibility and dispersity in epoxy matrices

A simple synthetic method for placing a mesoporous silica coating on multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs@MS) was developed to improve the surface compatibility with regard to a polar epoxy matrix. In addition, the mesoporous silica shell with silanol groups on the CNTs provides a platform to attach silane molecules (e.g. 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, GPTMS) that enable the CNTs@MS to be incorporated into the epoxy matrix at a content of up to 20 wt.%. The viscosities of the CNTs@MS- and GPTMS-modified-CNTs@MS–epoxy composites are much lower than that of the CNTs–epoxy, and then the voids in the GPTMS-modified-CNTs@MS–epoxy composites are most significantly reduced. The effects of the CNTs@MS and GPTMS-modified CNTs@MS on the mechanical and thermal properties of the epoxy composite are investigated. The results show that the GPTMS-modified CNTs@MS improved the filler–epoxy matrix interaction, and has better compatibility in epoxy than the CNTs@MS. As the surface compatibility and interaction strength increase in the epoxy matrix, the enhancement in storage modulus, thermal conductivity and reduction in the coefficient of thermal expansion are in the following order: GPTMS-modified CNTs@MS > CNTs@MS ≫ CNTs.     

Lignin particle- and wood flour-reinforced phenolic foams: Friability,thermal stability and effect of hygrothermal aging on mechanical properties and morphology

In the present work, the effect of lignin particles and wood flour weight fractions incorporated on friability and thermal stability of a phenolic foam was determined. In addition, the effect of hygrothermal aging on compressive mechanical properties and cell size of the materials was studied. The incorporation of lignin particles decreased friability of the phenolic foam; whereas, wood flour increased it. The influence of both reinforcements on thermal stability of the material was very low. Although the reduction in mechanical properties of reinforced foams was higher than for the unreinforced material after hygrothermal aging, modulus and strength of the reinforced foams were still superior to those of the unreinforced material. Hygrothermal aging did not influence cell size of the foams studied. The material which exhibits the best combination of features was 8.5 wt.% lignin particle-reinforced phenolic foam.     

Review of the mechanical properties of carbon nanofiber/polymer composites

In this paper, the mechanical properties of vapor grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF)/polymer composites are reviewed. The paper starts with the structural and intrinsic mechanical properties of VGCNFs. Then the major factors (filler dispersion and distribution, filler aspect ratio, adhesion and interface between filler and polymer matrix) affecting the mechanical properties of VGCNF/polymer composites are presented. After that, VGCNF/polymer composite mechanical properties are discussed in terms of nanofibers dispersion and alignment, adhesion between the nanofiber and polymer matrix, and other factors. The influence of processing methods and processing conditions on the properties of VGCNF/polymer composite is also considered. At the end, the possible future challenges for VGCNF and VGCNF/polymer composites are highlighted.     

Flammability,thermal and physical-mechanical properties of cationic polymer/montmorillonite composite on cotton fabric

The flammability, thermal and mechanical properties on cotton fabric were improved by being finished with the composite containing montmorillonite. To this aim, polymer dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride-allyl glycidyl ether (P_DMDAAC-AGE) was prepared and its structure characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR). The quaternary ammonium salt copolymer/montmorillonite composite (P_DMDAAC-AGE/MMT) was obtained by polymer intercalation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the MMT interlayer spacing increased after the polymer intercalation. Composite materials were loaded onto the cotton fabrics by a dip-pad-dry method. The thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), vertical flame test and limiting oxygen index (LOI) results showed that the thermal and flammability properties of the cotton fabric were improved after it was finished with the composite. Tensile testing revealed an increase on mechanical properties of the finished fabric, but the physical properties hardly changed from the bending length and whiteness results. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy disperse X-ray spectroscope (EDX) results verified the improvement of those properties due to the presence of montmorillonite in the composite.     

Enhancement of fracture toughness,mechanical and thermal properties of rubber/epoxy composites by incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets

Carboxyl terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (CTBN) was added to epoxy resins to improve the fracture toughness, and then two different lateral dimensions of graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs), nominally <1 μm (GnP-C750) and 5 μm (GnP-5) in diameter, were individually incorporated into the CTBN/epoxy to fabricate multi-phase composites. The study showed that GnP-5 is more favorable for enhancing the properties of CTBN/epoxy. GnPs/CTBN/epoxy ternary composites with significant toughness and thermal conductivity enhancements combined with comparable stiffness to that of the neat resin were successfully achieved by incorporating 3 wt.% GnP-5 into 10 wt.% CTBN modified epoxy resins. According to the SEM investigations, GnP-5 debonding from the matrix is suppressed due to the presence of CTBN. Nevertheless, apart from rubber cavitation and matrix shear banding, additional active toughening mechanisms induced by GnP-5, such as crack deflection, layer breakage and separation/delamination of GnP-5 layers contributed to the enhanced fracture toughness of the hybrid composites.     

Morphological changes of carbon nanotubes in polyethylene matrices under oscillatory tests as determined by dielectrical measurements

By combining a high sensitive dielectric sensor into a parallel plate rheometer, the time evolution of the dielectric properties of polyethylene/carbon nanotube composites was measured in the molten state under oscillatory shear. Composites with single- (SWCNT) or multiwall (MWCNT) carbon nanotubes initially decrease its conductivity proportional to the oscillatory shear-strain applied. After this initial drop, some composites increase the conductivity under these non-quiescent conditions reflecting a possible shear-induced agglomeration process. The latter based on the complex permittivity spectrum showing a shortening in the CNT-CNT distances in these composites after shear. At concentrations below the electrical percolation threshold, the presence of both SWCNTs and MWCNTs reduces the DC conductivity of the molten matrices. This result shows that carbon nanotubes can act as a scavenger for impurities or additives present in commercial polyethylenes.     

Preparation and thermal properties of soluble poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) composites reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotube buckypaper

A nanocomposite with soluble high-performance poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) as matrix and multi-walled carbon nanotube buckypaper (MWCNT-BP) as reinforcement was fabricated by hot-press processing. The morphologies, dynamic and static mechanical behavior, thermal stability of the MWCNT-BP/PPESK composites were studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). SEM microphotographs revealed a high impregnation degree of the MWCNT-BP/PPESK composites. Dynamic and static mechanical analysis revealed that the nanocomposites possessed high storage modulus, and good retention rate of mechanical strength even at 250 °C, which is mainly attributed to satisfied impregnation and strong interactions between MWCNT-BP and PPESK. Thermogravimetric analysis exhibited that the nanocomposites had excellent thermal stability. These investigations confirm that MWCNT-BP can be effectively used to manufacture high-loading CNT/PPESK composites with improved properties.     

Effects of CNT diameter on mechanical properties of aligned CNT sheets and composites

Drawing, winding, and pressing techniques were used to produce horizontally aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets from free-standing vertically aligned CNT arrays. The aligned CNT sheets were used to develop aligned CNT/epoxy composites through hot-melt prepreg processing with a vacuum-assisted system. Effects of CNT diameter change on the mechanical properties of aligned CNT sheets and their composites were examined. The reduction of the CNT diameter considerably increased the mechanical properties of the aligned CNT sheets and their composites. The decrease of the CNT diameter along with pressing CNT sheets drastically enhanced the mechanical properties of the CNT sheets and CNT/epoxy composites. Raman spectra measurements showed improvement of the CNT alignment in the pressed CNT/epoxy composites. Research results suggest that aligned CNT/epoxy composites with high strength and stiffness are producible using aligned CNT sheets with smaller-diameter CNTs.     

Graphite-like carbon nitride and functionalized layered double hydroxide filled polypropylene-grafted maleic anhydride nanocomposites: Comparison in flame retardancy,and thermal,mechanical and UV-shielding properties

Graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) and borate modified layered double hydroxides (LDH-B) were successfully fabricated by thermal pyrolysis and modified aqueous miscible organic solvent treatment methods, respectively. Then these nano-additives were introduced to prepare polypropylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA)/g-C₃N₄ and PP-g-MA/LDH-B nanocomposites using a modified solvent mixing strategy. Several important parameters of the nanocomposites including thermal, mechanical and UV-blocking properties were investigated. Results indicated that pure g-C₃N₄ exhibited 347.6 and 427.2 °C increase in onset decomposition temperature under air and nitrogen conditions, respectively, compared with LDH-B. In case of PP-g-MA nanocomposites, both T_-10 and T_-50 (the temperature at 10% and 50% weight loss, respectively) were improved by 14.6 and 27.7 °C, respectively, by the addition of g-C₃N₄ while those only increased by 2.3 and 17.8 °C upon introducing LDH-B. Furthermore, PP-g-MA/g-C₃N₄ system showed a remarkable increment (9.8 °C) in crystallization temperature while an increase of 4.2 °C for PP-g-MA/LDH-B nanocomposite. Introducing g-C₃N₄ and LDH-B into PP-g-MA led to a reduction of 28% and 19% in pHRR, respectively. It was noted that the incorporation of g-C₃N₄ caused significant improvement in storage modulus from 2445.0 MPa for neat PP-g-MA to 2783.5 MPa for PP-g-MA/g-C₃N₄ while that of PP-g-MA/LDH-B was dramatically decreased by 27.3%. Optical results indicated that PP-g-MA/g-C₃N₄ was rendered fascinating UV adsorption ability relative to PP-g-MA/LDH-B. It is expected that the novel two-dimensional nanomaterial could bring new creativity into polymer composites.     

Effect of graphene oxide on the physical,mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of neoprene and chlorosulfonated polyethylene vulcanizates

The present research work demonstrated the effect of graphene oxide (GO) on the physical, mechanical, thermo-mechanical etc., properties of neoprene (CR) and chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) vulcanizates. CR and CSPE based nanocomposites were prepared by both solution intercalation and melt intercalation methods. The changes obtained in the morphology, cure characteristics, mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical properties of the rubber nanocomposites have been widely investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis of the samples revealed partial exfoliated structure of GO containing rubber composites. Mechanical, thermal, cure and thermo-mechanical properties of the elastomeric nanocomposites were improved compared to the neat rubbers.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of poly(ether ether ketone)

Pristine carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and noncovalently functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) were used to prepare poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) composites (CNTs/PEEK and f-CNTs/PEEK) via melt blending. Noncovalently functionalized multiwalled nanotubes were synthesized using hydrogen-bonding interactions between sulfonic groups of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and carboxylic groups of nanotubes treated by acid (CNTs–COOH). The effects of these two kinds of nanotubes on the mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of PEEK were investigated. CNTs improved mechanical properties and promoted the crystallization rate of PEEK as a result of heterogeneous nucleation. Better enhancement of mechanical properties appeared in the f-CNTs/PEEK composites, which is ascribed to the good interaction between f-CNTs and PEEK. However, the strong interaction of f-CNTs and PEEK chains decreased the crystallization rate of PEEK for high content of f-CNTs.     

Effects of carbon nanotube diameter and functionality on the properties of soy polyol-based polyurethane

Soy polyol-based polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites (PUNCs) with 1 wt.% hydroxyl-functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT-OH) were prepared via in situ polymerization. CNT-OH increased the glass transition temperature as well as significantly improved the thermal stability and conductivity of the PUNCs. The PUNC Young’s modulus was much lower than that of neat PU. The tensile strength of the PUNCs with large CNT-OH diameters was slightly higher than that of neat PU. Compared with neat PU, the elongation at break of the PUNCs improved by 30%, 39%, and 45% with increased CNT-OH diameters. Scanning and transmission electron microscopic methods revealed CNT-OH relatively homogeneous dispersion in the PU matrix.