Carbon Nanotubes/Polycarbonate/Polyethylene Composites: Morphological Manipulation, Structure And Properties

With extraordinary mechanical properties including Young's modulus values in the order of 1.0 TPa, five times higher than values of steel (the modulus of steel is approximately 0.2 TPa) ; a fracture strain of 5-10% (the largest strain approximately 12%, which is sixty times larger than fracture strain of steel) ; much lower density (only one of sixth of steel's density ) , and Carbon nanotube (CNT) has become the high-performance reinforcement for next generation polymer nanocomposites. In this paper, we report our efforts to employ CNTs as high performance reinforcement in PC/PE microfibrillar composites, with most CNTs localized and oriented in in-situ generated PC fibers, which simultaneously increase strength, modulus and toughness of samples free of CNTs. Main work and conclusion are as follows:(1) Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcement in polymer matrices can only be effectively utilized when uniform dispersions are achieved. Solution-phase processing is used to prepare the CNT/EVA (20/80 by weight) masterbatch with a high CNT content. CNT/EVA/PC (5/20/75 by weight) compound was produced by mixing CNT/EVA masterbatch with PC by a Haake Rheomixer mixer, and SEM image shows that CNTs are still of homogenous dispersion in PC phase. The present way, which combines solution processing and melt mixing, is very effective and applicable for CNT dispersion in polymer matrix. Because the former is capable of...