Surface modification of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by plasma polymerization of methylmethacrylate and its effect on the properties of PMMA/CNF nanocomposites
AbstractCarbon nanofibers (CNFs) were modified via plasma polymerization using methyl methacrylate (MMA) as monomer and used as reinforcements for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Conditions of the MMA plasma process in a specially designed reactor and plasma-polymerized methyl methacrylate (PPMMA) films were studied. The study involved varying the process time at a constant plasma power of 100 W and a constant MMA flow rate (0.15 cm3 per min). Nanocomposites of PPMMA-coated CNFs and PMMA were prepared with 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 %wt of treated CNFs. The effect of the MMA plasma on the CNFs was analyzed. Dispersion of the modified CNFs was evaluated in several solvents. The results confirmed a change in hydrophobicity of the treated CNFs. The inclusion of treated CNFs exhibited substantial impact on the properties of the PMMA/CNF nanocomposites. The thermal and mechanical properties of the PMMA/CNF composites were examined. It was found that the thermal stability increased by about 8% and the Young´s modulus significantly enhanced by as much as 178% when compared to PMMA with no CNFs.