Plasma coating of carbon nanofibers for enhanced dispersion and interfacial bonding in polymer composites

Abstract

Ultrathin films of polystyrene were deposited on the surfaces of carbon nanofibers using a plasma polymerization treatment. A small percent by weight of these surface-coated nanofibers were incorporated into polystyrene to form a polymer nanocomposite. The plasma coating greatly enhanced the dispersion of the nanofibers in the polymer matrix. High-resolution transmission-electron-microscopy ͑HRTEM͒ images revealed an extremely thin film of the polymer layer ͑ϳ3 nm͒ at the interface between the nanofiber and matrix. Tensile test results showed considerably increased strength in the coated nanofiber composite while an adverse effect was observed in the uncoated composites; the former exhibited shear yielding due to enhanced interfacial bonding while the latter fractured in a brittle fashion.

Plasma Treated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) for Epoxy Nanocomposites

“…These include rotating reactors, fluidized bed reactors, mechanical mixing plasma reactors. Mechanical mixing within a fluidized bed is a good method to minimize aggregation and to test the feasibility of plasma coating/treatment of nanomaterials [13,14]. In this study, a magnetically assisted fluidized bed plasma reactor equipped with radio frequency (RF) plasma power supply was used for plasma nanocoating and treatment of MWCNTs [12,17].…”

“…Plasma nanocoatings/modifications have been used to reduce agglomerations by modifying the surface of nanomaterials [9]. Plasma nanocoating of individual nanoparticles in particular proves effective in breaking up nanoparticle agglomeration [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Plasma nanocoatings generally contain functional groups which electrostatically prevent agglomeration and can also enhance interactions with the polymer matrix.…”

Multi-walled carbon nanotube filled polypropylene nanocomposites based on masterbatch route: Improvement of dispersion and mechanical properties through PP-g-MA addition

“…However, CNT dispersion in non-polar polymers such as polypropylene during melt processing remains a challenge. Techniques such as end-group functionalization [10][11][12], use of ionic surfactants [13], shear mixing [14,15] and plasma coating [16] have been used to improve dispersion and exfoliation of nanotubes in polypropylene matrix. Polypropylene compatibility with fillers has been improved by matrix modification by grafting it with reactive moieties, such as acrylic acid, acrylic esters, and maleic anhydride [17,18].…”

Morphology and Dispersion of Pristine and Modified Carbon Nanofibers in Water

“…Deposition of ultrathin films on nanoparticles by plasma treatment has been achieved. (Shi, Lian et al 2002;Shi, Lian et al 2003) To enhance dispersion ability of carbon nanofibers in water, acrylic acid is selected as a monomer for plasma polymerization. (Shi, He et al 2002)Bright-field and high-resolution TEM images of the plasma-coated nanofibers are shown in Figure 21.…”