Since CNTs (carbon nanotubes) have excellent electrical and mechanical characteristics, their application as fillers for polymer matrix composites is expected to have great potential. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of CNT’s crystallinity quality, which is given by high temperature treatment (i.e. annealing), on the properties of CNT/polymer composites. In this study, double wall type CNT (DWNT) and multi wall type CNT (MWNT) were used and heat treated at up to 2000°C to achieve highly improved crystallinity. Electrical and mechanical properties of the CNT/polymer composites were compared with the various CNT’s crystallinity qualities as measured by ID/IG ratios. As a result, although the composites with higher quality CNTs showed considerably lower surface resistivities, however the same composites had lower Young's modulus and tensile strengths. The reason is thought to be that the high quality CNT has low surface activity and weak adhesion between the polymer and the CNT surface. This suggests that CNTs with higher quality do not always contribute to the improvement to the properties of CNT/polymer composites.
Thermal and Mechanical Characteristics of Polymer Composites Based on Epoxy Resin, Aluminium Nanopowders and Boric Acid
