Oxidation time effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on thermal, mechanical, and cure kinetics of epoxy‐based nanocomposites

Abstract In this work, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were oxidized in a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid (3:1 v/v) using two distinct times (9 and 18 hours). The effects of different oxidation levels and concentrations of MWCNT on curing kinetics, thermal, and mechanical properties of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether nanocomposites were studied. The nanocomposites were produced using in situ polymerization technique at two different volume fractions (0.15% and 0.50% v/v) without using solvents. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that MWCNT were in fact oxidized and just 9 hours of acid treatment showed a greater amount of oxygen on the MWCNT surfaces. Results of differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis showed small variations in the glass transition temperatures of the nanocomposites, indicating alterations in the quality of the interphase matrix/carbon nanotubes. Concerning the thermogravimetric analysis results, the most thermally stable samples were those containing 0.15% v/v of pristine and 18 hours of oxidized MWCNT, which also had the highest stiffness of all nanocomposites. Finally, the cure kinetics of nanocomposites is fairly represented by Kamal and Sourour's semiempirical model with an autocatalytic behavior at 100°C and 120°C, but decelerated at 140°C.