Contemporary review on carbon nanotube (CNT) composites and their impact on multifarious applications

Abstract

Since their discovery in 1991, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have found widespread use in various industries, from aerospace to energy, due to their excellent mechanical, thermal, electrical, and tribological properties. Their lightweight nature, small size, incredible tensile strength, and conductivity have made them very popular as reinforcements in metals, polymers, and even finding employment in additive manufacturing. In this review, we provide a rundown of these structures and discuss in detail the numerous methods used to process CNT-reinforced materials, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), ball milling, hot pressing, and selective laser melting. The limitations of manufacturing and processing these composites are also discussed, strengthened by the support of different published works. To understand the changes in the properties of these composites in terms of varying parameters such as temperature, CNT length, diameter, etc., an extensive summary is provided, describing several techniques to perform experimental analysis and giving plausible reasons for attributing these changes. Consequently, we explore the specific areas of applications for these CNT-reinforced composites in fields such as aerospace, energy, biomedical, and automobile, and how they can be further processed and changed to allow for more affordable and efficient solutions in the future.

The effect of nanocarbon inclusion on mechanical, tribological, and thermal properties of phenolic resin‐based composites: An overview

“…Additionally it is found that a group led by Loganathan also reported in their multiple studies about possible improvements in mechanical, tribological, and thermal properties for a hybrid of fiber reinforcements and carbon nano fillers in phenolic resin nanocomposites using mechanical ball milling (dry dispersion) has been reported 138,178,179 . Moreover, there were numerous works that used different methods to process the dispersion of unmodified or modified nanocarbon reinforcements/fillers in phenolic matrix nanocomposite such as CVD, ball milling, sonication, or hybridizations thereof 180–186 …”

“…138,178,179 Moreover, there were numerous works that used different methods to process the dispersion of unmodified or modified nanocarbon reinforcements/fillers in phenolic matrix nanocomposite such as CVD, ball milling, sonication, or hybridizations thereof. [180][181][182][183][184][185][186]…”

Three Dimensionally Printed Biobased Electrodes: Ionic Liquid and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrids in a Vegetable Oil Matrix for Soft Robotics

“…Incorporating nanosized fillers in polymer composites has become one of polymer science’s most active research fields. High-aspect-ratio carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received particular attention due to their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties since their discovery . Despite the anticipated substantial increase in properties, poor dispersion and entanglements of CNT have caused significant challenges associated with material manufacturing. − Second-generation imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) have gained widespread attention among the scientific community due to their low viscosity and melting point, ease of synthesis, and air stability. − Their ability to dissolve many chemical species is used for synthesis, dispersion, and catalytic applications, while their conductivity and high electrochemical stability make them interesting for thermoelectric applications .…”

“…High-aspect-ratio carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received particular attention due to their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties since their discovery. 1 Despite the anticipated substantial increase in properties, poor dispersion and entanglements of CNT have caused significant challenges associated with material manufacturing. 2−4 Second-generation imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) have gained widespread attention among the scientific community due to their low viscosity and melting point, ease of synthesis, and air stability.…”

Printed Antifouling Electrodes for Biosensing Applications

“…To this end, an ink consisting of a mixture of a photoreactive copolymer with strong antifouling properties and conductive CNTs was printed onto screen-printed carbon electrodes on foil, followed by drying under ambient conditions and a short UV-crosslinking step. We chose CNTs as an additive to improve the charge transfer in the functionalization layer due to their excellent electrical conductivity and commercial availability . CNTs are superior in conductivity compared to rGOs and cheaper than gold-based materials, for instance, AuNPs and AuNWs.…”