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Curing of epoxy/carbon nanotubes physical networks
Author(s) -
Chapartegui Maialen,
Markaide Nerea,
Florez Sonia,
Elizetxea Cristina,
Fernandez Mercedes,
Santamaria Anton
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.22131
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , epoxy , curing (chemistry) , composite material , rheology , viscoelasticity , percolation threshold , conductivity , electrical resistivity and conductivity , chemistry , engineering , electrical engineering
A melt‐mixing procedure has been used to disperse multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in an epoxy matrix. According to dynamic viscoelastic results, a physical network is formed for carbon nanotube concentrations of 0.3 weight per cent (wt%) and above. The temperature activated curing process is followed analyzing the evolution of the dynamic viscoelastic functions and the dielectric loss with time. Curing process from a physical to a chemical network is monitored. The presence of MWCNT accelerates curing, even when the rheological percolation is not reached (absence of physical network). Several hypotheses are considered to explain this result. Electrical conductivity decreases during cure, so lower electrical conductivities are found for cured MWCNT/epoxy samples than for dispersions: this is explained by a distortion of nanotubes physical network and a reduction of the ionic conductivity contribution of the liquid phase. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers