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The purpose of this this study was to graft polymer chains onto the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to examine the morphology and thermal properties of the epoxy composites in comparison to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). A thermal analyzer measured the thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites using the transient plane source (TPS) technique. Results showed that the addition of Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to the MWCNTs/epoxy composites significantly enhanced thermal conductivity compared to the pristine MWCNTs/epoxy composites.
Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have applications in the aeronautic industry. This study examined how the concentration of MWCNT affects the electrical and thermal conductivities of nanocomposites. A thermal analyzer (TPS) measured the thermal properties of the nanocomposites using the transient plane source (TPS) technique. Results showed that thermal conductivity of the samples increased with MWCNT concentration and temperature, but the phenoxy-MWCNT nanocomposites had higher thermal properties than the PES-MWCNT nanocomposites.
Adding metallic nanoparticles to a conventional fluid increases the thermal conductivity of the solution. In this study, flaked boron nitride (BN) and high-aspect-ratio multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were added to epoxy composites to increase thermal conductivity. A thermal analyser measured the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids using the transient plane source (TPS) method. Results showed that adding a small volume of MWCNT to the epoxy composite significantly improved thermal conductivity compared to when pristine CNTs were used. It was also noted that the thermal conductivity of the composite increased with concentration of BN.
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 (TPS) method. Results showed that the CNTs dispersed well throughout the matrix at low concentrations and improved the thermal conductivity of the composite. This was the first sol-gel procedure that yielded a multi-component glass matrix composite with well-dispersed CNTs. The success of this experiment can be applied to other sol-gel precursors in the future to produce stable CNT-containing composites.
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 modulus and thermal conductivities of the nanocomposites seemed to be unaffected by the functionalization of the SWCNTs; however, the flexural strength of the nanocomposites was reduced.
