Category: Transient Plane Source
Author(s): Aldo R. Boccaccinia, Boris J. C. Thomasa, Milo S. P. Shafferb
Keywords: Carbon nanotubes, CNTs, Densification, Dispersion, Electrical Conductivity, glass, Inorganic-organic binding, Matrix composites, Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Sol-gel process, Thermal Conductivity, Transient Plane Source, Transient plane source (TPS) method, Xerogels
Abstract: 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.
Reference: Composites: Part A, 40 (2009) 837-845
DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2009.04.006