Mechanical Performance and Applications of CNTs Reinforced Polymer Composites—A Review

Abstract

Developments in the synthesis and scalable manufacturing of carbon nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely used in the polymer material industry over the last few decades, resulting in a series of fascinating multifunctional composites used in fields ranging from portable electronic devices, entertainment and sports to the military, aerospace, and automotive sectors. CNTs offer good thermal and electrical properties, as well as a low density and a high Young’s modulus, making them suitable nanofillers for polymer composites. As mechanical reinforcements for structural applications CNTs are unique due to their nano-dimensions and size, as well as their incredible strength. Although a large number of studies have been conducted on these novel materials, there have only been a few reviews published on their mechanical performance in polymer composites. As a result, in this review we have covered some of the key application factors as well as the mechanical properties of CNTs-reinforced polymer composites. Finally, the potential uses of CNTs hybridised with polymer composites reinforced with natural fibres such as kenaf fibre, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre, bamboo fibre, and sugar palm fibre have been highlighted.

Heterojunctions of rGO/Metal Oxide Nanocomposites as Promising Gas-Sensing Materials—A Review

“…(1) High strength, which is attributed to the covalent bonding within the layers, and weak lateral bonding, allowing it to easily slide and slip; (2) The thinness of the graphene atomic formation has a relatively high absorbance of 2.3% based on the fine-structure constant [49] and a high thermal stability, e.g., when annealed up to 250 • C; (3) The high in-plane thermal conductivity up to approximately 5 × 10 3 W/mK provides an excellent heat dissipation and thermal interface [50,51]; (4) The electronic structure with a zero bandgap within contributes to its high electron mobility (10 5 cm 2 /Vs) [46], which is much higher than that of other electronic nanomaterials, such as CNTs (1.096 × 10 4 cm 2 /Vs) [52,53] and certain conducting polymers, for example, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) (10 −1 cm 2 /Vs) [54] and polyaniline (PANI) (0.69 cm 2 /Vs) [55]; (5) High carrier density (10 13 /cm) [56], room temperature Hall effect [57], and low electrical noise of approximately 1-100 kHz, which is similar to other metals and semiconductors [58,59]; (6) As reported by , the developed rGO wrapped sponge for highly efficient oil/water separation exhibited incredible mechanical strength, extremely high flexibility, bendability, and compressibility of up to 100 squeezing cycles [60]. Nonetheless, the hexagonal arrangement showed that graphene and CNTs have a relatively high elasticity with a Young's modulus of 1 TPa, a third-order elastic stiffness around 2 TPa, and a shear modulus of approximately 80 GPa [61,62].…”

“…The fact that the electronic characteristics of graphene are substantially influenced by gas molecule adsorption is possibly the most substantial reason for it being promoted as a viable gas-sensing material. The planar structure of graphene facilitates the fabrication of Hall patterns and four-probe testing, reducing contact resistance implication, and permitting researchers to focus solely on the active sites [52]. The characteristics of graphene as a gas sensor and their remarks are listed in Table 2 [54][55][56][57][58][59].…”

Hyperelastic Properties of Bamboo Cellulosic Fibre–Reinforced Silicone Rubber Biocomposites via Compression Test

“…It is known that one of the contributing factors to global climate change is the massive emission of carbon dioxide gases. One of the sources is the burning of synthetic fibres such as carbon fibre, glass fibre, and aramid, which are widely used in the making of composite materials [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. These composite materials are also growing in scale, especially in automotive, aerospace, construction, and marine sectors, owing to their light weight, high strength, good corrosion resistance, and other qualities [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Morphological, Physical, and Mechanical Properties of Sugar-Palm (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.)-Reinforced Silicone Rubber Biocomposites

“…The gasses release leads to serious environmental issues [13,14]. Other drawbacks of synthetic fibres include nonrenewability, which may lead to health problems when inhaled, and high cost [15][16][17][18][19]. Due to the aforementioned issues, researchers are trying to overcome this by improving or replacing the existing materials with biodegradable and eco-friendly materials towards the users and the environment.…”