Thermal characterization of nanocomposite shape memory polymer for their mechanical and thermal properties

The main task of the investigation was to measure the mechanical and thermal behavior of Nanofiber filled thermoplastic Shape Memory Polymer system. Nanofibers were added in 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% volume percentage in the SMP matrix. The effect of different concentration of nanofiber and chopped carbon fiber on shape memory effect was also investigated. Another task accomplished by this thesis work was to compare mechanical and thermal behavior of nano and conventional composite systems at the maximally similar conditions. To accomplish this samples filled with 10% and 15% nanofiber and carbon fibers were compared. This comparison has to clarify so-called nano-effect---change of the properties of heterogeneous materials when the sizes of the constituents are decreasing approaching to the nanometer scale. Samples were tested by DMTA testing equipment. The dependencies of storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangent on temperature were studied. The results of investigation show that as the nanofiber concentration in SMP matrix was increased samples showed higher strength and decreasing damping effect. When nanofiber and conventional chopped carbon fiber samples were compared for the same concentrations, nanofiber filled sample showed higher strength in comparison to the chopped carbon fiber.