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Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics and thermomechanical properties of multiwalled carbon nanotube‐reinforced poly(ε‐caprolactone) composites
Author(s) -
Xu Guoyong,
Du Longchao,
Wang Hu,
Xia Ru,
Meng Xiangchun,
Zhu Qingren
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
polymer international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-0126
pISSN - 0959-8103
DOI - 10.1002/pi.2448
Subject(s) - materials science , crystallinity , crystallization , nanocomposite , composite material , compounding , nanotube , nucleation , caprolactone , carbon nanotube , chemical engineering , polymer , copolymer , organic chemistry , chemistry , engineering
BACKGROUND: The technological development of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) is limited by its short useful lifespan, low modulus and high crystallinity. There are a few papers dealing with the crystallization behavior of carbon nanotube‐reinforced PCL composites. However, little work has been done on the crystallization kinetics of melt‐compounded PCL/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) nanocomposites. In this study, PCL/MWNT nanocomposites were successfully prepared by a simple melt‐compounding method, and their morphology and mechanical properties as well as their crystallization kinetics were studied. RESULTS: The MWNTs were observed to be homogeneously dispersed throughout the PCL matrix. The incorporation of a very small quantity of MWNTs significantly improved the storage modulus and loss modulus of the PCL/MWNT nanocomposites. The nonisothermal crystallization behavior of the PCL/MWNT nanocomposites exhibits strong dependencies of the degree of crystallinity ( X c ), peak crystallization temperature ( T p ), half‐time of crystallization ( t 1/2 ) and Avrami exponent ( n ) on the MWNT content and cooling rate. The MWNTs in the PCL/MWNT nanocomposites exhibit a higher nucleation activity. The crystallization activation energy ( E a ) calculated with the Kissinger model is higher when a small amount of MWNTs is added, then gradually decreases; all the E a values are higher than that of pure PCL. CONCLUSION: This paper reports for the first time the preparation of high‐performance biopolymer PCL/MWNT nanocomposites prepared by a simple melt‐compounding method. The results show that the PCL/MWNT nanocomposites can broaden the applications of PCL. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry