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Preformed nanoporous carbon nanotube scaffold-based multifunctional polymer composites
Youngseok Oh1, Mohammad F Islam1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3815, United States.
ACS Nano
|March 21, 2015
Summary
Researchers developed advanced polymer nanocomposites using preformed hydrogels and aerogels of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This method enhances mechanical properties and introduces novel optical responses, overcoming previous limitations in composite reinforcement.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Multifunctional polymer nanocomposites are actively researched for high modulus, strength, thermal stability, optical, electrical, and thermal conductivity.
- Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offer superlative properties but mechanical reinforcement in polymers has been below theoretical estimations.
- Existing methods struggle with CNT dispersion and compatibility with certain polymers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a fabrication method for polymer nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties using preformed CNT hydrogels and aerogels.
- To achieve significant elastic modulus enhancement in polymers, even those incompatible with CNTs.
- To exploit the intrinsic properties of CNTs for novel functionalities like strain-dependent fluorescence.
Main Methods:
- Integration of preformed hydrogels and aerogels of individually dispersed CNTs with various polymers.
- A solution-based fabrication approach enabling bulk composite creation with tunable form-factors.
- Utilizing non-covalently linked CNTs within the polymer matrix.
Main Results:
- Achieved elastic modulus enhancement according to the Halpin-Tsai model up to 25 vol % of CNTs.
- Created bulk composites with tunable form-factors, including with polymers incompatible with CNTs.
- Introduced strain-dependent, spatially resolved fluorescence due to optically active CNTs.
- Suppressed polymer glass transition and extended mechanical integrity above the polymer melting point.
- Maintained thermal stability of both CNTs and polymers above their decomposition temperatures.
Conclusions:
- The developed method effectively enhances mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites.
- The approach allows for the exploitation of intrinsic CNT properties, leading to novel functionalities.
- This technique offers a pathway to creating high-performance multifunctional polymer nanocomposites with improved thermal and mechanical integrity.
