Abstract:
Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been area of great interest, for researchers and scientists world over. The CNTs show unmatched properties in term of their electronic, mechanical, optical and chemical characteristics, which open a potential way to numerous future applications. MWCNTs were synthesized using catalytic chemical vapor deposition technique. A pre-requisite for using this technique was to synthesize catalyst nanoparticles which were prepared using co-precipitation method. Functionalization of CNTs with various functional groups (Carboxylic, Acyl and Amine) was carried out in order to enhance their dispersion and bonding characteristics, when used as reinforcements. Pristine and functionalized MWCNTs were dispersed in an epoxy matrix to prepare nanocomposites with CNT loadings of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 weight percent. This research partially focused on in-house catalyst preparation and CNT growth.. However, prime research focus was on nanotube functionalization and subsequent incorporation (of both pristine and functionalized CNTs) in Diglycidal Ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA) which is a commonly used polymeric epoxy resin. Resultant effects on mechanical properties (Elastic modulus, tensile strength) and thermo-mechanical properties (thermal stability, coefficient of thermal expansion, glass transition temperature, storage modulus) were investigated. CNT reinforced nanocomposites showed improvement in properties even with very small inclusion of CNTs. Arguably, best results in mechanical properties, in terms of enhanced tensile strength and storage modulus, were observed in case of Epoxy/CNT─NH2 (1wt%) nanocomposites, where an increase by 32 and 87 % respectively, was recorded. During the course of this project, various characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, thermo-gravimetric analysis, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis and thermo-mechanical analysis, were used.
