Automated dispersion and orientation analysis for carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

The properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)/polymer composites are strongly dependent on the dispersion and orientation of CNTs in the host matrix. Quantification of the dispersion and orientation of CNTs by microstructure observation and image analysis has been demonstrated as a useful way to understand the structure-property relationship of CNT/polymer composites. However, due to the various morphologies and large amount of CNTs in one image, automatic and accurate identification of CNTs has become the bottleneck for dispersion/orientation analysis. To solve this problem, shape identification is performed for each pixel in the filler identification step, so that individual CNT can be exacted from images automatically. The improved filler identification enables more accurate analysis of CNT dispersion and orientation. The obtained dispersion index and orientation index of both synthetic and real images from model compounds correspond well with the observations. Moreover, these indices help to explain the electrical properties of CNT/Silicone composite, which is used as a model compound. This method can also be extended to other polymer composites with high aspect ratio fillers.

Enhanced mechanical properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composites by incorporating XD-grade carbon nanotube

“…27 Recently, the automatic detection of CNT and estimation of dispersion and orientation has been performed by measuring the tube shape characteristics with Hessian matrices for each pixel in the image. 28 This new technique enables convenient quantification of dispersion and orientation of CNT fillers and is of great use to correlate the microstructure of CNT/polymer composites and their properties with their processing conditions. In our study, the morphological study of microstructure observation by SEM was performed to determine the degree of the dispersion of CNT and understand the structure–property relationship of CNT/polymer composites.…”

On the electrical conductivity of composites with a polymeric matrix and a non-uniform concentration of carbon nanotubes

“…Several methods have been proposed to quantify the dispersion of CNT-polymer composites samples; most aim to measure parameters quantifying the free spacing between agglomerates, their size, and uniformity [8][9][10][11], and exploring correlations between these parameters and physical properties. Detailed low-scale observations, based on transmission or scanning electron microscopy, are time consuming and can be inaccurate due to their 2D nature [12]; recent efforts [13] have resulted in the fast construction of maps of absolute CNT concentration via optical absorbance methods, validated by Raman spectroscopy.…”

Comparison between inorganic geomimetic chrysotile and multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the preparation of one-dimensional conducting polymer nanocomposites

“…In fact, the adequate dispersion of filler in the matrix is considered a crucial factor that affects the performance of nanocomposites [39]. Mechanical and electrical properties of nanocomposite based on polymer and one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured disperse material strongly depended on the orientation of nanotubes [40,41]. Several recent research studies have focused on the influence of the nanotube alignment on the nanocomposite properties and on their applications [42,43] and have suggested that the performance of photovoltaic devices based on intrinsically conducting polymers can be improved using nanotubes as an additive to increase the crystallinity by ordering the polymer chains along the wall of the nanotube [44].…”