Abstract
Studies have proved that enhancing epoxy matrices by adding carbon nanotubes to form structural reinforcements has significantly improved mechanical properties at very low carbon nanotube loading. That mechanical properties of aligned composites are better than those of random ones has been demonstrated in past studies; however, alignment is not easy to achieve in carbon nanotube epoxy-matrix bulk composite by conventional techniques. In this study, epoxy-matrix bulk composites reinforced by aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are prepared using an RF electric field to elicit dipolar interactions among the nanotubes in a viscous matrix following immobilization by curing under continuous application of an anisotropic electric field and the fracture toughness is experimentally characterized later. The processes of actively aligned MWCNTs epoxy-matrix bulk composite were controlled as a function of CNT weight fraction, the frequency of dielectrophoretic field and processing time. Carbon nanotubes are not only aligned along the field but also migrate laterally to enhance thickness. Eventually, addition of nanotubes improved the mechanical properties of the MWCNT/epoxy bulk composites, and the increase in the flexural modulus and fracture toughness with the aligned nanotube composite is two times greater than the improvement for the randomly oriented composite.
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