A simple chemical treatment for easy dispersion of carbon nanotubes in epoxy matrix for improving mechanical properties
Source abstract
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes have considerable potential for use as reinforcements in high-performance polymer composites, but their large-scale application has been hindered by their poor processability. Here, we report an extremely simple and scalable method for the chemical treatment of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to enable easy dispersion in an epoxy matrix. The treatment involves stirring SWNTs in a concentrated solution of sodium hydroxide in ethanol. The chemicals used can be recovered and re-used. The treated SWNTs show greater ease of exfoliation into organic solvents without the need for high-intensity ultrasonic probe treatment. Raman spectroscopy shows that the treatment does not create any noticeable defects or functional groups on the SWNT walls. As a result of the treatment, the SWNTs could be dispersed in epoxy with minimal, low-power ultrasonic treatment. The resulting composites showed increased fracture toughness and tensile strength at SWNT loadings as low as 0.5 weight percent, when compared with neat epoxy. The enhancement in properties of the composites does not decrease with increased SWNT loading, implying that the SWNTs do not re-aggregate.
Source: openaire · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Carbon Nanotubes in Composites · Fiber-reinforced polymer composites · Smart Materials for Construction
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (37)
Show source-provided references
1. Domun N, Hadavinia H, Zhang T, Sainsbury T, Liaghat GH, Vahid S (2015) Improving the fracture toughness and the strength of epoxy using nanomaterials—a review of the current status. Nanoscale 7:10294–1032910.1039/C5NR01354B ↗
2. Shokrieh MM, Rafiee R (2010) A review of the mechanical properties of isolated carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube composites. Mech Compos Mater 46:155–17210.1007/s11029-010-9135-0 ↗
3. Spitalsky Z, Tasis D, Papagelis K, Galiotis C (2010) Carbon nanotube–polymer composites: chemistry, processing, mechanical and electrical properties. Progress Polym Sci 35:357–40110.1016/j.progpolymsci.2009.09.003 ↗
4. Treacy MMJ, Ebbesen TW, Gibson JM (1996) Exceptionally high Young’s modulus observed for individual carbon nanotubes. Nature 381:678–68010.1038/381678a0 ↗
5. Krishnan A, Dujardin E, Ebbesen TW, Yianilos PN, Treacy MMJ (1998) Young’s modulus of single-walled nanotubes. Phys Rev B 58:14013–1401910.1103/PhysRevB.58.14013 ↗
6. Yu M-F, Lourie O, Dyer MJ, Moloni K, Kelly TF, Ruoff RS (2000) Strength and breaking mechanism of multiwalled carbon nanotubes under tensile load. Science 287:637–64010.1126/science.287.5453.637 ↗
7. Li F, Cheng HM, Bai S, Su G, Dresselhaus MS (2000) Tensile strength of single-walled carbon nanotubes directly measured from their macroscopic ropes. Appl Phys Lett 77:3161–316310.1063/1.1324984 ↗
8. Demczyk BG, Wang YM, Cumings J et al (2002) Direct mechanical measurement of the tensile strength and elastic modulus of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Mater Sci Eng A 334:173–17810.1016/S0921-5093(01)01807-X ↗
9. Lu Q, Keskar G, Ciocan R et al (2006) Determination of carbon nanotube density by gradient sedimentation. J Phys Chem B 110:24371–2437610.1021/jp063660k ↗
10. Baughman RH, Zakhidov AA, de Heer WA (2002) Carbon nanotubes—the route toward applications. Science 297:787–79210.1126/science.1060928 ↗
11. Schnorr JM, Swager TM (2011) Emerging applications of carbon nanotubes. Chem Mater 23:646–65710.1021/cm102406h ↗
12. Ajayan PM, Schadler LS, Giannaris C, Rubio A (2000) Single-walled carbon nanotube–polymer composites: strength and weakness. Adv Mater 12:750–75310.1002/(SICI)1521-4095(200005)12:10<750::AID-ADMA750>3.0.CO;2-6 ↗
13. Suri A, Chakraborty AK, Coleman KS (2008) A facile, solvent-free, noncovalent, and nondisruptive route to functionalize single-wall carbon nanotubes using tertiary phosphines. Chem Mater 20:1705–170910.1021/cm071573e ↗
14. Moore VC, Strano MS, Haroz EH et al (2003) Individuallysuspended single-walled carbon nanotubes in various surfactants. Nano Lett 3:1379–138210.1021/nl034524j ↗
15. O’Connell MJ, Boul P, Ericson LM et al (2001) Reversible water-solubilization of single-walled carbon nanotubes by polymer wrapping. Chem Phys Lett 342:265–27110.1016/S0009-2614(01)00490-0 ↗
16. Davis JJ, Coleman KS, Azamian BR, Bagshaw CB, Green MLH (2003) Chemical and biochemical sensing with modified single walled carbon nanotubes. Chem Eur J 9:3732–373910.1002/chem.200304872 ↗
17. Liu J, Rinzler AG, Dai H et al (1998) Fullerene pipes. Science 280:1253–125610.1126/science.280.5367.1253 ↗
18. Suri A, Coleman KS (2012) Formylation of single-walled carbon nanotubes. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 12:2929–293310.1166/jnn.2012.5696 ↗
19. Bayazit MK, Suri A, Coleman KS (2010) Formylation of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Carbon 48:3412–341910.1016/j.carbon.2010.05.036 ↗
20. Hu H, Zhao B, Hamon MA, Kamaras K, Itkis ME, Haddon RC (2003) Sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes by addition of dichlorocarbene. J Am Chem Soc 125:14893–1490010.1021/ja0356737 ↗
21. Niyogi S, Hamon MA, Hu H et al (2002) Chemistry of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Acc Chem Res 35:1105–111310.1021/ar010155r ↗
22. Moaseri E, Hasanabadi S, Maghrebi M, Baniadam M (2015) Improvements in fatigue life of amine-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy composites: effect of functionalization degree and microwave-assisted procuring. J Composite Mater 49:1961–196910.1177/0021998314541306 ↗
23. Sun L, Warren GL, O’Reilly JY et al (2008) Mechanical properties of surface-functionalized SWCNT/epoxy composites. Carbon 46:320–32810.1016/j.carbon.2007.11.051 ↗
24. Xiao H, Song G, Li H, Sun L (2015) Improved tensile properties of carbon nanotube modified epoxy and its continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites. Polym Compos 36:1664–166810.1002/pc.23076 ↗
25. Hameed A, Islam M, Ahmad I, Mahmood N, Saeed S, Javed H (2015) Thermal and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposites reinforced with pristine and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Polym Compos 36:1891–189810.1002/pc.23097 ↗
26. Gkikas G, Barkoula N-M, Paipetis AS (2012) Effect of dispersion conditions on the thermo-mechanical and toughness properties of multi walled carbon nanotubes-reinforced epoxy. Composs Part B Eng 43:2697–270510.1016/j.compositesb.2012.01.070 ↗
27. Pizzutto CE, Suave J, Bertholdi J, Pezzin SH, Coelho LAF, Amico SC (2011) Study of epoxy/CNT nanocomposites prepared via dispersion in the hardener. Mater Res 14:256–26310.1590/S1516-14392011005000041 ↗
28. Salzmann CG, Llewellyn SA, Tobias G, Ward MAH, Huh Y, Green MLH (2007) The role of carboxylated carbonaceous fragments in the functionalization and spectroscopy of a single-walled carbon-nanotube material. Adv Mater 19:883–88710.1002/adma.200601310 ↗
29. Suri A, Coleman KS (2011) The superiority of air oxidation over liquid-phase oxidative treatment in the purification of carbon nanotubes. Carbon 49:3031–303810.1016/j.carbon.2011.03.023 ↗
30. Verdejo R, Lamoriniere S, Cottam B, Bismarck A, Shaffer M (2007) Removal of oxidation debris from multi-walled carbon nanotubes, Chem Commun 513–51510.1039/B611930A ↗
31. Lu KL, Lago RM, Chen YK, Green MLH, Harris PJF, Tsang SC (1996) Mechanical damage of carbon nanotubes by ultrasound. Carbon 34:814–81610.1016/0008-6223(96)89470-X ↗
32. Mattia D, Bau HH, Gogotsi Y (2006) Wetting of CVD carbon films by polar and nonpolar liquids and implications for carbon nanopipes. Langmuir 22:1789–179410.1021/la0518288 ↗
33. Chen J, Hamon MA, Hu H et al (1998) Solution properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Science 282:95–9810.1126/science.282.5386.95 ↗
34. Mickelson ET, Huffman CB, Rinzler AG, Smalley RE, Hauge RH, Margrave JL (1998) Fluorination of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Chem Phys Lett 296:188–19410.1016/S0009-2614(98)01026-4 ↗
35. Gojny FH, Wichmann MHG, Fiedler B, Schulte K (2005) Influence of different carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of epoxy matrix composites—a comparative study. Compos Sci Technol 65:2300–231310.1016/j.compscitech.2005.04.021 ↗
36. Hubble LJ, Clark TE, Makha M, Raston CL (2008) Selective diameter uptake of single-walled carbon nanotubes in water using phosphonated calixarenes and ‘extended arm’ sulfonated calixarenes. J Mater Chem 18:5961–596610.1039/b814904f ↗
37. Hsieh TH, Kinloch AJ, Taylor AC, Kinloch IA (2011) The effect of carbon nanotubes on the fracture toughness and fatigue performance of a thermosetting epoxy polymer. J Mater Sci 46:7525–7535. doi: 10.1007/s10853-011-5724-010.1007/s10853-011-5724-0 ↗