Carbon nanofiber-reinforced polymeric nanocomposites

Five vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF) reinforced vinyl ester (VE) nanocomposite configurations were fabricated, imaged, and mechanically tested in order to obtain information on the influence and the interactions of the role of the microstructure at lower length scales on the observed continuum level properties/response. Three independent variables (the nanofiber weight fraction and two types of nanofiber mixing techniques) were chosen to be varied from low, middle, and high values at equally spaced intervals. Multiple mixing techniques were studied to gain insight into the effect of mixing on the VGCNF dispersion within the VE matrix. The point count method was used for both lower length-scale imaging techniques to provide quantitative approximations of the magnitude and the distribution of such lower length-scale features. Finally, an inverse relationship was shown to exist between the stiffness and strength properties of the resulting nanocomposites under uniaxial quasistatic compression loading.