A facile method for preparing CNT-grafted carbon fibers and improved tensile strength of their composites

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-grafted carbon fibers (CFs) have emerged as new reinforcements for improving the mechanical properties of CF-reinforced composites but such enhancement in macroscale composites has not been realized. This paper reports a facile method for preparing CNT-grafted CFs and improving the tensile strength of their composites. A CNT/polyacrylonitrile solution was sprayed onto the surface of the CF woven fabrics, and the CNTs were grafted by a thermal treatment at 300 °C. CNT-grafted CF composites were fabricated using the CNT-grafted CF woven fabrics using a vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process with epoxy resin. The CNT-grafted CF composite exhibited 22% enhancement in the tensile strength compared to that of the pristine CF composite. Fracture surfaces of the CNT-grafted CF composites showed that the grafted CNTs obstructed the propagation of micro-cracks and micro-delamination around the CFs and also yarn boundaries, resulting in improved tensile strength of CNT-grafted CF composites.     

Mechanical and electrical property improvement in CNT/Nylon composites through drawing and stretching

The excellent mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them the ideal reinforcements for high performance composites. The misalignment and waviness of CNTs within composites are two major issues that limit the reinforcing efficiency. We report an effective method to increase the strength and stiffness of high volume fraction, aligned CNT composites by reducing CNT waviness using a drawing and stretching approach. Stretching the composites after fabrication improved the ultimate strength by 50%, 150%, and 190% corresponding to stretch ratios of 2%, 4% and 7%, respectively. Improvement of the electrical conductivities exhibited a similar trend. These results demonstrate the importance of straightening and aligning CNTs in improving the composite strength and electrical conductivity.     

Processing,characterization, and modeling of carbon nanotube-reinforced multiscale composites

Carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated and characterized. High-energy sonication was used to disperse CNTs in the resin, followed by infiltration of fiber preform with the resin/CNT mixture. The effects of sonication time on the mechanical properties of “multiscale” composites, which contain reinforcements at varying scales, were studied. A low CNT loading of 0.3 wt% in resin had little influence on tensile properties, while it improved the flexural modulus, strength, and percent strain to break by 11.6%, 18.0%, and 11.4%, respectively, as compared to the control carbon fiber/epoxy composite. While sonication is an effective method to disperse CNTs in a resin, duration, intensity, and temperature need to be controlled to prevent damages imposed on CNTs and premature resin curing. A combination of Halpin–Tsai equations and woven fiber micromechanics was used in hierarchy to predict the mechanical properties of multiscale composites, and the discrepancies between the predicted and experimental values are explained.     

关于尼龙-6/炭纳米管复合材料的研究

在原位复合尼龙－６／炭纳米管（ＰＡ６／ＣＮＴ）过程中,炭纳米管将以其外壁上连接的羧基官能团（－ＣＯＯＨ）参与尼龙－６（ＰＡ６）的加成聚合反应,并阻碍ＰＡ６分子的长大。这在很大程度上削弱了基体强度。采用改进原位复合法复合ＰＡ６／ＣＮＴ,可大大提高ＰＡ６分子的平均分子量,减轻炭纳米管对基体ＰＡ６强度的削弱,大幅度提高ＰＡ６／ＣＮＴ复合材料的强度。     

Hybrid carbon nanotube–carbon fiber composites with improved in-plane mechanical properties

In this study carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown on carbon fibers to enhance the in-plane and out-of-plane properties of fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPs). A relatively low temperature synthesis technique was utilized to directly grow CNTs over the carbon fibers. Several composites based on carbon fibers with different surface treatments (e.g. growing CNTs with different lengths and distribution patterns and coating the fibers with a thermal barrier coating (TBC) layer) were fabricated and characterized via on- and off-axis tensile tests. The on-axis tensile strength and ductility of the hybrid FRPs were improved by 11% and 35%, respectively, due to the presence of the TBC and the surface grown CNTs. This configuration also exhibited 16% improvement on the off-axis stiffness. Results suggest that certain CNT growth patterns and lengths are more pertinent than the other surface treatments to achieve superior mechanical properties.     

Fabrication of magnesium based composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes having superior mechanical properties

Magnesium (Mg) composite reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) having superior mechanical properties was fabricated using both pure Mg and AZ61 Mg alloy matrix in this study. The composites were produced via powder metallurgy route containing wet process using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) based zwitterionic surfactant solution with unbundled CNTs. The produced composites were evaluated with tensile test and Vickers hardness test and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). As a result, only with AZ61 Mg alloy matrix, tensile strength of the composite was improved. In situ formed Al₂MgC₂ compounds at the interface between Mg matrix and CNTs effectively reinforced the interfacial bonding and enabled tensile loading transfer from the Mg matrix to nanotubes. Furthermore, it was clarified that the microstructures and grain orientations of the composite matrix were not significantly influenced by CNT addition.     

Carbon fiber/epoxy composite property enhancement through incorporation of carbon nanotubes at the fiber–matrix interphase – Part I: The development of carbon nanotube coated carbon fibers and the evaluation of their adhesion

A new method to realize the uniform coating of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to carbon fibers (CFs) has been developed, which enables the scalable fabrication of CNT containing CF/epoxy composites. In this method, CNTs are treated by cationic polymers, then, the CNTs are coated to CFs by immersion into a CNT/water suspension. Good dispersion is achieved by repulsive force between positively charged CNTs and uniform coating of the CNTs is achieved by attractive forces between positively charged CNTs and negatively charged CFs. It is found that the use of specific cationic polymers including polyethyleneimine (PEI) results in stable CNT/water suspensions, and uniform coating of the CNTs. Single fiber fragmentation tests of the CF/epoxy composites were conducted to evaluate the strength of interface and interphase under shear loading. The results show that the combination of epoxy resin sizing and PEI treated CNT coating to CFs results in high interfacial shear strength.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes and their dispersion on electroless Ni–P under bump metallization for lead-free solder interconnection

Electroless Ni–P under bump metallization (UBM) has advantages of even surface, low cost and simplicity to deposit, but their mechanical strength, corrosion resistance and stability still face challenges under high soldering temperature. Incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into electroless Ni–P UBM might be expected to provide Ni–P–CNT composites with high mechanical strength and stability. Ni–P–CNT composite coatings as well as Ni–P coatings were fabricated by electroless plating process. In order to homogeneously disperse CNTs in composite coatings, acid pre-treatment and surfactant dispersant were introduced. During composite electroless plating, the ultrasonic agitation was also employed. In this study, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology and the CNTs were proved to be uniformly distributed in Ni–P–CNT coatings by SEM and atomic force microscopy. It was verified that the surface of the composite was quite smooth and continuous; CNTs are equably embedded in the matrix, which is advantageous for conductivity, mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. Shear tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of CNT reinforcement on the mechanical properties of joints, and the joints with CNT additions exhibited higher shear strength at different reflow cycles. Moreover, deposition mechanism of CNTs with Ni was analyzed and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Factors that affecting plating process was also discussed, and the optimum plating condition was suggested in this study.     

A Novel Melt Processing for Mg Matrix Composites Reinforced by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) reinforced Mg matrix composites were fabricated by a novel melt processing.The novel processing consisted of two courses:CNTs pre-dispersion and ultrasonic melt processing.Mechanical ball-milling was employed to pre-disperse CNTs on Zinc(Zn) flakes.Serious CNT entanglements were well dispersed to single CNT or tiny clusters on Zn flakes.The ultrasonic melt processing further dispersed CNTs in the Mg melt,especially tiny CNT clusters.Thus,a uniform dispersion of CNTs was achieved in the as-cast composites.Hot extrusion further improved the distribution of CNTs.CNTs increased both the strength and elongation of the matrix alloy.Notably,the elongation of the matrix alloy was enhanced by 40%.Grain refinement and the pulling-out of CNTs resulted in the evident improvement of ductility for the composites.     

Improved processing of carbon nanotube/magnesium alloy composites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising reinforcements for light weight and high strength composites due to their exceptional properties. However, until now, the main obstacle is to obtain a homogenous dispersion of the CNTs in the desired material matrix. Quite a few methods have been studied to help improving the dispersion of CNTs in a polymer matrix. But not much research has been conducted on how to disperse CNTs in metal matrices. In this study, a two-step process was applied. In the first stage, a block copolymer was used as a dispersion agent to pre-disperse multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on Mg alloy chips. Then the chips with the well dispersed MWNTs on their surface were melted and at the same time vigorously stirred. The molten MWNT Mg alloy composites were poured into a cylindrical mould to solidify quickly. For the pre-dispersion step, the microstructures of the Mg alloy chips were studied under SEM. MWNTs were quite successfully dispersed on the surfaces of the Mg alloy chips. The mechanical properties of the MWNT/Mg composites were measured by compression testing. The compression at failure, the compressive yield strength and ultimate compressive strength have all been improved significantly up to 36% by only adding 0.1 wt% MWNTs to the Mg alloy. In order to predict the potential yield strengths of the MWNT reinforced Mg alloy composites, the contributions by load transfer, Orowan strengthening and thermal mismatch were added up.     

Carbon Nanotube–Multilayered Graphene Edge Plane Core–Shell Hybrid Foams for Ultrahigh‐Performance Electromagnetic‐Interference Shielding

Materials with an ultralow density and ultrahigh electromagnetic‐interference (EMI)‐shielding performance are highly desirable in fields of aerospace, portable electronics, and so on. Theoretical work predicts that 3D carbon nanotube (CNT)/graphene hybrids are one of the most promising lightweight EMI shielding materials, owing to their unique nanostructures and extraordinary electronic properties. Herein, for the first time, a lightweight, flexible, and conductive CNT–multilayered graphene edge plane (MLGEP) core–shell hybrid foam is fabricated using chemical vapor deposition. MLGEPs are seamlessly grown on the CNTs, and the hybrid foam exhibits excellent EMI shielding effectiveness which exceeds 38.4 or 47.5 dB in X‐band at 1.6 mm, while the density is merely 0.0058 or 0.0089 g cm^?3, respectively, which far surpasses the best values of reported carbon‐based composite materials. The grafted MLGEPs on CNTs can obviously enhance the penetration losses of microwaves in foams, leading to a greatly improved EMI shielding performance. In addition, the CNT–MLGEP hybrids also exhibit a great potential as nano‐reinforcements for fabricating high‐strength polymer‐based composites. The results provide an alternative approach to fully explore the potentials of CNT and graphene, for developing advanced multifunctional materials.     

Mechanical,electrical and thermal properties of aligned carbon nanotube/polyimide composites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have high strength and modulus, large aspect ratio, and good electrical and thermal conductivities, which make them attractive for fabricating composite. The poly(biphenyl dianhydride-p-phenylenediamine) (BPDA/PDA) polyimide has good mechanical and thermal performances and is herein used as matrix in unidirectional carbon nanotube composites for the first time. The strength and modulus of the composite increase by 2.73 and 12 times over pure BPDA–PDA polyimide, while its electrical conductivity reaches to 183 S/cm, which is 10¹⁸ times over pure polyimide. The composite has excellent high temperature resistance, and its thermal conductivity is beyond what has been achieved in previous studies. The improved properties of the composites are due to the long CNT length, high level of CNT alignment, high CNT volume fraction and good CNT dispersion in polyimide matrix. The composite is promising for applications that require high strength, lightweight, or high electrical and thermal conductivities.     

Effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) content on the mechanical properties of CNT-reinforced aluminium composites

The interest in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcements for aluminium (Al) has been growing considerably. Efforts have been largely focused on investigating their contribution to the enhancement of the mechanical performance of the composites. The uniform dispersion of CNTs in the Al matrix has been identified as being critical to the pursuit of enhanced properties. Ball milling as a mechanical dispersion technique has proved its potential. In this work, we use ball milling to disperse up to 5 wt.% CNT in an Al matrix. The effect of CNT content on the mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. Cold compaction and hot extrusion were used to consolidate the ball-milled Al–CNT mixtures. Enhancements of up to 50% in tensile strength and 23% in stiffness compared to pure aluminium were observed. Some carbide formation was observed in the composite containing 5 wt.% CNT. In spite of the observed overall reinforcing effect, the large aspect ratio CNTs used in the present study were difficult to disperse at CNT wt.% greater than 2, and thus the expected improvements in mechanical properties with increase in CNT weight content were not fully realized.     

Alumina powder assisted carbon nanotubes reinforced Mg matrix composites

Mg matrix composites reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-Al₂O₃ mixture, which was synthesized by in situ growing CNTs over Al₂O₃ particles through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Ni catalyst, were fabricated by means of powder metallurgy process, followed by hot-extrusion. By controlling synthesis conditions, the as-grown CNTs over Al₂O₃ particles possessed high degree of graphitization, ideal morphology, higher purity and homogeneous dispersion. Due to the ‘vehicle’ carrying effect of micrometer-level A₂O₃, CNTs were easy to be homogeneously dispersed in Mg matrix under moderate ball milling. Meanwhile, Al₂O₃ particles as catalyst carriers, together with CNTs, play the roles of synergistic reinforcements in Mg matrix. Consequently, the Mg matrix composites reinforced by CNTs-Al₂O₃ mixture exhibited remarkable mechanical properties.     

Formicary-like carbon nanotube/copper hybrid nanostructures for carbon fiber-reinforced composites by electrophoretic deposition

An electrophoretic deposition process has been applied to produce unique carbon nanotube (CNT)/copper nanostructures on the carbon fiber surfaces. During the deposition process, ionized copper and positively charged CNTs are accelerated towards the carbon fiber under applied electric fields. An interconnected formicary-like network of nanotubes and nanoparticles is formed where copper nucleation and growth occurs predominantly at nanotube crossing and edge-contact locations. When embedded in a structural composite the CNT/copper structures create a highly conductive and strongly bonded network shown by significant enhancements in both electrical conductivity and interlaminar shear strength as compared to composites without the CNT/copper nanostructures.     

A simple approach to prepare Al/CNT composite: Spread–Dispersion (SD) method

In carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs), the good dispersion of CNTs in the matrix as well as the processing problems are the major challenges inhibiting the development of these composites. In this study, well-dispersed CNTs reinforced aluminum (Al) matrix nanocomposite was fabricated by a novel Spread–Dispersion (SD) method. Specimens with ultra-fine grain size down to 20 nm were obtained. The tensile strength of the CNT nanocomposite was 66% greater than the base matrix with a minor decrease in ductility. Such enhancement was analyzed on the basis of segregation and uniform distribution of clustered CNTs, disappearance of the CNT-free zones, eliminated porosity, stronger Al/CNT bonding and the retention of CNT graphitic structure.     

Growth of carbon nanotubes on carbon fibre substrates to produce hybrid/phenolic composites with improved mechanical properties

Carbon nanotubes were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on different carbon fibre substrates namely, unidirectional (UD) carbon fibre tows, bi-directional (2D) carbon fibre cloth and three dimensional (3D) carbon fibre felt. These substrates were used as the reinforcement in phenolic resin matrix to develop hybrid CF–CNT composites. The growth morphology and other characteristics of the as grown tubes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermal gravimetry (TGA) which confirmed a copious growth of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on these substrates. The mechanical properties of the hybrid composites was found to increase with the increasing amount of deposited carbon nanotubes. The flexural strength (FS) improved by 20% for UD, 75% for 2D and 66% for 3D hybrid composites as compared to that prepared by neat reinforcements (without CNT growth) under identical conditions. Flexural modulus (FM) of these composites also improved by 28%, 54% and 46%, respectively.     

Formation of stainless steel–carbon nanotube composites using a scalable chemical vapor infiltration process

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are among the strongest materials known, making their use in composites, a field with very high commercial potential for structural applications. Many of the methods reported to date to form metal composites have an excessive number of steps. Here, a facile chemical vapor deposition method to infiltrate multiwalled carbon nanotubes directly into pure stainless steel pellets and pellets from stainless steel mixed with iron particles is reported. The iron powder was dry-coated before vapor filtration with nanosized iron oxide catalyst precursor, a critical step to increase catalytic activity. This CVD method results in a substantial increase in the elastic modulus, yield strength, and hardness by 47, 104, and over 93 %, respectively, for composites made from mixed, dry-coated particles compared with corresponding control samples without nanotubes. This is the highest enhancement reported, to the best of our knowledge, of the mechanical properties for a metal–nanotube composite prepared using a metal other than copper. The addition of CNTs results in a relatively small increase in corrosion rate which can be mitigated to negligible levels by coating with a thin epoxy–carbon nanotube composite.     

Mechanical strength improvement of polypropylene threads modified by PVA/CNT composite coatings

Poly (vinyl alcohol)/carbon nanotube (PVA/CNT) composite was coated on the surface of polypropylene thread for toughness enhancement. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were treated in acid and alkali to get water-soluble nanotubes, and then embedded into poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix, resulting in polymer-carbon composite with homogeneous nanotube dispersion. The stress-strain measurements show that the tensile strength and toughness of the PVA/CNT coated thread increased by 117% and 560%, respectively. These results are supportive of good interfacial bonding between the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polymer matrix.