Microscopic mechanism of reinforcement and conductivity in polymer nanocomposite materials

Modification of polymers by adding various nano-particles is an important method to obtain effective enhancement of materials properties. Within this class of materials, carbon nanotubes (CNT) are among the most studied materials for polymer reinforcement due to their extraordinary mechanical properties, superior thermal and electronic properties, and high aspect ratio. However, to unlock the potential of CNTs for applications, CNTs must be well dispersed in a polymer matrix and the microscopic mechanism of polymer reinforcement by CNTs must be understood.; In this study, single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) composites with polypropylene (PP)-SWNT and polystyrene (PS)-SWNT were prepared and analyzed. Microscopic study of the mechanism of reinforcement and conductivity by SWNT included Raman spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and dielectric measurement. For PP-SWNT composites, tensile tests show a three times increase in the Young's modulus with addition of only 1 wt% SWNT, and much diminished increase of modulus with further increase in SWNT concentration. For PS-SWNT composites, well-dispersed SWNT/PS composite has been produced, using initial annealing of SWNT and optimum sonication conditions. The studies on the tangential mode in the Raman spectra and TEM indicated well-dispersed SWNTs in a PS matrix. We show that conductivity appears in composites already at very low concentrations, hinting at the formation of a 'percolative' network even below 0.5% of SWNT. The Raman studies for both composites show good transfer of the applied stress from the polymer matrices to SWNTs. However, no significant improvement of mechanical property is observed for PS-SWNT composites. The reason for only a slight increase of mechanical property remains unknown.