Polymer Bulletin, Vol.74, No.7, 2513-2533, 2017
Mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/epoxy composites: effect of post-processing techniques and filler loading
In this study, MWCNT/epoxy composites were fabricated via combination of ultrasonication with two post-processing techniques namely, casting and hot-pressing, respectively. The effect of these two post processing techniques and MWCNT loading ranging from 0 to 1.0 vol% on the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of MWCNT/epoxy composites were investigated. The addition of MWCNT in epoxy reduced the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the MWCNT/epoxy composites compared to unfilled epoxy. However, the MWCNT/epoxy composites prepared by hot-pressing technique improved the tensile strength and tensile modulus at 0.4 vol% MWCNT loading as confirmed by morphological analysis. The DMA properties of MWCNT/epoxy composites prepared by both post-processing techniques showed no significant change in storage modulus and T-g values. The increment of MWCNT loading slightly increased the electrical and thermal properties of MWCNT/epoxy composites via the hot-pressing technique. These findings indicate that different post-processing techniques and filler loading govern the properties of MWCNT/epoxy composites.
Keywords:Polymer-matrix composite (PMC);Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT);Mechanical properties;Electrical properties;Thermal properties