High Performance Nanotube‐Reinforced Plastics: Understanding the Mechanism of Strength Increase

Coleman, Jonathan N.; Cadek, Martin; Blake, Rowan; Nicolosi, Valeria; Ryan, Kevin; Belton, C.; Fonseca, A.; Nagy, J.B.; Gun’ko, Yurii K.; Blau, Werner J.

doi:10.1002/adfm.200305200

Cited by 574 publications

(455 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…For both modulus and strength ( Figure 5A and B), significant increases are observed at low SWCNT content It is likely that some other form of reinforcement is present to explain these results. A likely possibility is nanotube-nucleated polymer ordering which is often observed in PVA based composites (31) and is known to result in significantly enhanced mechanical properties (17,24). At volume fractions above 0.2vol%, both modulus and strength tend to fall off slightly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mechanical properties of individual electrospun polymer-nanotube composite nanofibers

Almecija

Blond

Sader

et al. 2009

Carbon

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, we feel that it should be possible to produce even stronger fibers by using alternative matrices. In recent years, a number of papers have appeared demonstrating the strength of polyvinylalcohol (PVA)-nanotube fibers (18,20) and films (23,24). In addition, surprisingly strong electrospun membranes have been produced from PVA (7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical properties of individual electrospun polymer-nanotube composite nanofibers

Almecija

Blond

Sader

et al. 2009

Carbon

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“…For the PHB-g-AA/MWNTs-OH nanocomposites, this breaking strain tended to decrease with increasing MWNTsÀOH content and occurred at 3.9% with a stress of 25.6 MPa for the 3 wt.% composite followed by a stiffing of the material [44]. The tensile strength (TS) at break of PHB/MWNTs and PHB-g-AA/MWNTs-OH was obtained from their stress-strain curves, and the result was listed in Table 1.…”

Section: Mechanical Properties Of Hybridsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites: preparation and characterizations

Liao

2012

Designed Monomers and Polymers

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In this study, the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PHB/MWNTs) nanocomposite was prepared by means of a melt blending method. To improve the compatibility/dispersability of MWNTs within the PHB matrix, the acrylic acid grafted poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB-g-AA) and the multihydroxyl functionalized MWNTs (MWNTs-OH) were used as alternatives. Based on the results of TEM micrographs, FTIR spectra, 13 C solid-state NMR spectra, XRD patterns, and thermal and mechanical characterizations, the PHB-g-AA/MWNTs-OH blend demonstrated dramatic enhancement in thermal and mechanical properties of PHB due to the formation of ester carbonyl groups through the reaction between carboxylic acid groups of PHB-g-AA and hydroxyl groups of MWNTs-OH. For example, with an addition of 1 wt.% MWNTs-OH, the increases in the initial decomposition temperature and the tensile strength at break were 75°C and 15.1 MPa, respectively. Finally, the optimal amount of MWNTs-OH was 1 wt.% because excess MWNTs-OH caused separation of the organic and inorganic phases and reduced their compatibility.

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“…[17] This is different to polymer-nanotube composites where good stress transfer has been observed by many researchers. [18,19] In principle, stress transfer can be improved by functionalisation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of stiff, strong, yet tough composites by the addition of solvent exfoliated graphene to polyurethane

Khan

May

O’Neill

et al. 2010

Carbon

278

200

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Please cite this article as: Khan, U., May, P., O'Neill, A., Coleman, J.N., Development of stiff, strong, yet tough composites by the addition of solvent exfoliated graphene to polyurethane, Carbon (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.carbon. 2010.07.008 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Development of stiff, strong, yet tough composites by the addition of solvent We have prepared graphene dispersions, stabilised by polyurethane in tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide. These dispersions can be drop-cast to produce free-standing composite films. The graphene mass fraction is determined by the concentration of dispersed graphene and can be controllably varied from 0% to 90%. Raman spectroscopy and Helium ion microscopy show the graphene to well-dispersed and well-exfoliated in the composites, even at mass fractions of 55%. On addition of graphene, the Young's modulus and stress at 3% strain increase by ×100, saturating at 1 GPa and 25 MPa respectively for mass fractions above 50wt%. While the ultimate tensile strength does not vary significantly with graphene content, the strain at break and toughness degrade heavily on graphene addition. Both these properties fall by ×1000 as the graphene content is increased to 90wt%. However, the rate of increase of Young's modulus and stress at 3% strain with mass fraction is greater than the rate of decrease of ductility and toughness.This makes it possible to prepare composites with high modulus, stress at low strain and ultimate tensile strength as well as relatively high toughness and ductility. This could lead to new materials that are stiff, strong and tough. With this in mind, we propose a different approach. Rather than reinforcing thermoplastics, we suggest that graphene might make an impact reinforcing elastomers.Reinforcement mechanisms in elastomeric composites are more complex than in thermoplastic based composites, a fact that may circumvent the poor stress transfer described above. Hard thermoplastics are characterised by relatively high stiffness and strength but low ductility and toughness (work done to fracture). Conversely, elastomers are characterised by low stiffness and low stress at low strain but high ductility and toughness. We propose that addition of graphene to elastomers could result in a material with positive elements of both hard thermoplastics and elastomers: high stiffness and strength yet relatively large ductility and toughness. Such materials would be useful in a range of applications.For such composites to have the properties outlined, a delicate balance must be maintained. While addition of nano-fillers such as nanotubes, nano...

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High Performance Nanotube‐Reinforced Plastics: Understanding the Mechanism of Strength Increase

Cited by 574 publications

References 20 publications

Mechanical properties of individual electrospun polymer-nanotube composite nanofibers

Mechanical properties of individual electrospun polymer-nanotube composite nanofibers

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites: preparation and characterizations

Development of stiff, strong, yet tough composites by the addition of solvent exfoliated graphene to polyurethane

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