TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of ultrasonication on carbon nanotube demixing and damage in polymer nanocomposites
AU - Iyer Ganapathi, Jayadurga
AU - Lee, Stephanie S.
AU - Kalyon, Dilhan M.
AU - Fisher, Frank T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2020/11/20
Y1 - 2020/11/20
N2 - While ultrasonication is universally employed for dispersion and distribution of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a solvent or polymer solution, the current work focuses on the underlying mechanisms of CNT demixing and CNT damage that can occur during processing. Here, multi-walled CNTs were dispersed in a polycaprolactone polymer matrix using an established solution processing technique. Electrical, rheological, and mechanical characterization results suggest that once nanocomposite property enhancements reach an optimal level, further sonication leads to a decrease in the corresponding properties due to a combination of CNT damage and demixing mechanisms. Evidence of CNT damage from transmission electron microscopy, poor CNT distribution from optical image analysis and shear-induced crystallization results, and reagglomeration observed from ultraviolet–visible results, taken together, suggest that mechanisms of demixing and damage of the CNTs coexist for excessive sonication times.
AB - While ultrasonication is universally employed for dispersion and distribution of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a solvent or polymer solution, the current work focuses on the underlying mechanisms of CNT demixing and CNT damage that can occur during processing. Here, multi-walled CNTs were dispersed in a polycaprolactone polymer matrix using an established solution processing technique. Electrical, rheological, and mechanical characterization results suggest that once nanocomposite property enhancements reach an optimal level, further sonication leads to a decrease in the corresponding properties due to a combination of CNT damage and demixing mechanisms. Evidence of CNT damage from transmission electron microscopy, poor CNT distribution from optical image analysis and shear-induced crystallization results, and reagglomeration observed from ultraviolet–visible results, taken together, suggest that mechanisms of demixing and damage of the CNTs coexist for excessive sonication times.
KW - mechanical properties
KW - structure–property relationships
KW - synthesis and processing techniques
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U2 - 10.1002/app.49370
DO - 10.1002/app.49370
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85084573652
SN - 0021-8995
VL - 137
JO - Journal of Applied Polymer Science
JF - Journal of Applied Polymer Science
IS - 44
M1 - 49370
ER -