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Effective Dispersion of MWCNTS in Polymer Composite Based on the Principles of Solvent-Free Process and no Chemical Modification

Tseng, Yu-Tsan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1375291870

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Polymer Science.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have remarkable mechanical, thermal, and, electrical properties, which has sparked considerable research interests for applications such as composites, electronic devices, sensors and, thermal interface materials. In the area of composites, it is critical to have proper dispersion to take advantage of the intrinsic properties of CNTs. However, CNTs are usually fabricated in the form of bundles or entangled clusters due to the Van der Waals (vdW) interaction among the sidewalls of the tubes, which makes it difficult to be fully exfoliated into individual tube in a matrix. In the past years, the combined strategies using physical mixing (high shear force or ultrasonication) and chemical modification (surfactants, polymer wrapping/coating, side chain grafting, or oxidative acid treatment attaching functional groups) are used to reach good dispersion. Some of the methods may be effective for dispersion but do serious damage to the pristine CNTs. Most importantly, these dispersion methods all involve solvent, suggesting that total removal of solvent could be the following tough challenge, and therefore limited the applications of CNTs as fillers for multifunctional composite materials. In our research, we develop an effective dispersion process based on the principles of solvent-free and no chemical modification. It is proved that “Steric Hindrance” among CNTs via irregular curvy tube structure is effective to enhance the dispersion of CNTs in both organic solvents and polymer matrix. The curvy nanotubes provide not only better initial dispersion (non-bundled form) but also lower re- aggregation tendency. It is also found that the curvy tubes show better debundling ability as compared with regular straight tube. The effect of dispersion quality in CNT/PDMS composites on the mechanical properties and thermal conductivity is demonstrated. Halpin-Tsai Model is modified to model our composite system and calculate the theoretical reinforcement in Young’s Modulus, which can be further used to evaluate the dispersion quality of CNTs. In general, curvy CNTs show superior dispersion in PDMS matrix either in solvent or non-solvent mixing process, which meets industrial criteria and holds promise for applying CNT fillers in commercial products.
Ali Dhinojwala, Dr. (Advisor)
Misfin Tsige, Dr. (Committee Chair)
Darrell H. Reneker, Dr. (Committee Member)
Alamgir Karim, Dr. (Committee Member)
Yu Zhu, Dr. (Committee Member)
238 p.
Polymers
MWCNTs, dispersion

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Tseng, Y.-T. (2013). Effective Dispersion of MWCNTS in Polymer Composite Based on the Principles of Solvent-Free Process and no Chemical Modification [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1375291870

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tseng, Yu-Tsan. Effective Dispersion of MWCNTS in Polymer Composite Based on the Principles of Solvent-Free Process and no Chemical Modification. 2013. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1375291870.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tseng, Yu-Tsan. "Effective Dispersion of MWCNTS in Polymer Composite Based on the Principles of Solvent-Free Process and no Chemical Modification." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1375291870

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.