Thermal and Morphological Study of Epoxy Matrix with Chemical and Physical Hybrid of Nanoclay/Carbon Nanotube

Abstract

Synergistic effects of nanoclay (NC) and carbon nanotube (CNT) as a physical and chemical hybrid on the properties of epoxy matrix were studied. The chemical hybrid of CNT-NC (CNC) was synthesized by high-temperature decomposition of methane on NC supports. The formation of CNTs on the NC surface was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. As-prepared CNCs were subsequently added into an epoxy matrix to make epoxy-CNC composites. The mixture of purified CNTs and NC as the physical hybrid of CNT-NC (PNC) was introduced into the epoxy matrix in order to fabricate epoxy-PNC composites. The relationship between the type of filler with the thermal and morphological performance of the epoxy-CNT-NC composite hybrids was investigated. The exfoliation characteristics of NCs and CNTs in epoxy nanocomposites were analyzed using x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and SEM studies, respectively. Thermal behavior of the epoxy nanocomposites was studied by thermo-gravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTG), the heat deflection temperature (HDT) test and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results indicated that the thermal characteristics of the epoxy including the degradation temperature (T deg ), HDT and glass transition temperature (T g ) relatively increased with the introduction of all the nanofillers, NC, CNT, PNC and CNC. The synergistic effects of CNT and NC were found to be more marked for the chemical hybrid compared to the physical one. In the case of CNC, it was observed that the CNTs attached to the clay sheets form a unique structure in which a 2D NC has several 1D CNTs attached to it. The enhanced homogeneous dispersion of NCs and CNTs in epoxy-CNC was clearly observed compared to epoxy-PNC.

Improved interfacial properties of carbon fiber composites by building stress transition layer with carbon nanotubes

“…The sizing treatment with MWCNTs on carbon fiber is the effective method for strengthening interfacial stiffness and adhesion with polymer matrix; however, the traditional method of incorporating the nanotubes on the surface of the carbon fiber was hardly enough to eliminate the modulus gap between fiber and neat epoxy. Furthermore, as investigated it is important to achieve increasing performance consistently by the treatment of introducing CNTs on the surface of the carbon fiber, and the relationship between the type of filler and morphological performance has an effective influence for properties of the epoxy composite . In this study, it was necessary to put forward that the stress transition layer with the gradient variation of MWCNTs needs to be built between carbon fiber and resin matrix through combined methods.…”

Effect of carbon nanotube on PA6/ECO composites: Morphology development, rheological, and thermal properties

“…According to Table II, shore D hardness of un-filled blends and their corresponding nanocomposites decreased with increasing the ECO content. 8 In fact, the segmental mobility of the polymer chains is retarded near the CNT surface due to the inter-phase interactions between the matrix and the The tensile modulus of the PA6/ECO blends increased significantly with addition of 1.5 wt % MWNTs (both pristine and ACOOH-functionalized MWCNTs).…”

“…31 Therefore, the increase in the modulus is a result of a induced restrictions on segmental mobility of polymeric chains in vicinity of CNTs 32 and inherent high stiffness and modulus of CNTs. 8 In fact, the segmental mobility of the polymer chains is retarded near the CNT surface due to the inter-phase interactions between the matrix and the…”

“…3 Since these materials are not vulcanized so they can be recycle and re-shape via a re-melting process similar a thermoplastic materials. [5][6][7] Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known as the ideal reinforcing fillers to produce high-performance nanocomposites with excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties 8,9 compared with other fillers such as glass fiber, talc, calcium carbonate, carbon black, and carbon nanofiber. [5][6][7] Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known as the ideal reinforcing fillers to produce high-performance nanocomposites with excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties 8,9 compared with other fillers such as glass fiber, talc, calcium carbonate, carbon black, and carbon nanofiber.…”

“…4 Reinforcing polymer matrix with various fillers continues to be one of the most important methods to overcome the shortages of polymer materials, which limit their applications, such as poor mechanical and thermal properties. [5][6][7] Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known as the ideal reinforcing fillers to produce high-performance nanocomposites with excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties 8,9 compared with other fillers such as glass fiber, talc, calcium carbonate, carbon black, and carbon nanofiber. 10 The supreme reinforcing effect of this onedimensional filler (CNTs) is due to their unique mechanical, electrical, and structural properties, that is, very high aspect ratio, typically in the range of several thousand.…”