The authors have developed a method for the functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The functionalization of the SWCNTs is useful in helping to produce a better dispersion of nanotubes throughout a polymer matrix. Better dispersion of nanotubes was thought to result in an improvement in the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of nanocomposite polymers. It was determined that the method produced effective surface modification of the nanotubes. The elastic ...
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) combined with inorganic matrices are not structurally sound unlike singular CNTs which have good mechanical performances. Borosilicate glass, commercially known as Pyrex, is durable but has yet to be successfully fabricated using the sol-gel technique. In this paper, the sol-gel technique was used to manufacture borosilicate glass matrix composites with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The technique measured thermal conductivity of the materials using the transient plane source (...
A nanoparticle-enhanced phase change material (NePCM) is prepared by the dispersal of carbon nanotubes in 1-dodecanol. The objective of this experiment was to determine if the addition of nanoparticles could increase the thermal conductivity of the base PCM while resulting in a NePCM that would still have the required properties of a functional PCM. It was found that the thermal conductivity was enhanced through the addition of the carbon nanotubes; ...
Polystyrene/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PS/MWCNT) nanocomposite foams were prepared in order to determine if these foams exhibited a reduced thermal conductivity in comparison to pristine polystyrene foam. The thermal conductivity of foams can be broken down into three modes of conduction: gas conductivity, solid conductivity, and radiative conductivity. The PS/MWCNT foams had decreased gas and radiative conductivities in comparison to the pristine PS foam; however, the solid conductivity ...
The authors prepared a series of carbon nanotube (CNT) nanorefrigerants with varying size and amount of nanotubes to determine how these properties affect thermal conductivity. A TPS Instrument was used to measure thermal conductivity of the nanorefrigerants; R113 was used as a host nanorefrigerant. It was determined that higher concentrations of smaller diameter CNTs results in higher nanofrigerant thermal conductivity. A few theoretical models were also used to compare to ...
