Thermosetting nanocomposites with high carbon nanotube loadings processed by a scalable powder based method
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A powder based processing route was developed to allow manufacturing of thermosetting
nanocomposites with high (20 wt%) carbon nanotube (CNT) loading fractions. Adaptation of
high shear mixing methods, as used in thermoplastic processing, ensured that the CNTs were
well distributed and dispersed even at the highest loadings. By minimising flow distances,
compression moulding of powders ensured that the CNTs did not agglomerate during
consolidation, and yielded a percolated CNT network in a nanocomposite with excellent
electrical and thermal conductivities of 67 S m-1
and 0.77 W m-1 K
-1
, respectively. Unusually,
the CNTs provided effective mechanical reinforcement at even the highest loadings;
embrittlement is minimised by avoiding large scale inhomogeneities and the maximum
measured Young’s modulus (5.4 GPa) and yield strength (90 MPa) could make the
nanocomposite an attractive matrix for continuous fibre composites. The macromechanical
measurements were interpolated using micromechanical models that were previously
successfully applied at the nanoscale.
nanocomposites with high (20 wt%) carbon nanotube (CNT) loading fractions. Adaptation of
high shear mixing methods, as used in thermoplastic processing, ensured that the CNTs were
well distributed and dispersed even at the highest loadings. By minimising flow distances,
compression moulding of powders ensured that the CNTs did not agglomerate during
consolidation, and yielded a percolated CNT network in a nanocomposite with excellent
electrical and thermal conductivities of 67 S m-1
and 0.77 W m-1 K
-1
, respectively. Unusually,
the CNTs provided effective mechanical reinforcement at even the highest loadings;
embrittlement is minimised by avoiding large scale inhomogeneities and the maximum
measured Young’s modulus (5.4 GPa) and yield strength (90 MPa) could make the
nanocomposite an attractive matrix for continuous fibre composites. The macromechanical
measurements were interpolated using micromechanical models that were previously
successfully applied at the nanoscale.
Date Issued
2016-02-11
Date Acceptance
2016-02-10
Citation
Composites Science and Technology, 2016, 127, pp.62-70
ISSN
0266-3538
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
62
End Page
70
Journal / Book Title
Composites Science and Technology
Volume
127
Copyright Statement
© 2016, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
QinetiQ Limited
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)
Grant Number
AT/FRN/12750/IMP/08
DSTLX-100006041
Subjects
Materials
09 Engineering
Publication Status
Accepted