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Thermal and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposites reinforced with pristine and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Author(s) -
Hameed Asad,
Islam Mohammad,
ahmad Iftikhar,
Mahmood Nasir,
Saeed Shaukat,
Javed Hassan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.23097
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , thermogravimetric analysis , nanocomposite , epoxy , carbon nanotube , dynamic mechanical analysis , thermal stability , glass transition , ultimate tensile strength , volume fraction , surface modification , composite number , polymer , chemical engineering , engineering
In this study, the effects of functionalization and weight fraction of mutliwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated on mechanical and thermomechanical properties of CNT/Epoxy composite. Epoxy resin was used as matrix material with pristine‐, COOH‐, and NH 2 ‐functionalized CNTs as reinforcements in weight fractions of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0%. Varying (increasing) the weight fraction and changing type (pristine or functionalized) of CNTs caused increment in Young's modulus and tensile strength as observed during mechanical tests. CNT reinforcement improved thermal stability of the nanocomposites as observed by thermogravimetric analysis. Thermomechanical analysis showed a slight reduction in free volume of the polymer, that is a drop in coefficient of thermal expansion, prior to glass transition temperature ( T g ) beside a slight increase in T g value. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated an increase in storage modulus and T g owing to the strength addition of CNT to the matrix alongside the hardener. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the fractured surface(s) revealed that CNTs were well dispersed with no agglomeration and resulted in reinforcing the matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1891–1898, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers