Comparative study on the properties of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) -based nanocomposites containing multi-walled carbon (MWCNT) and tungsten disulfide (INT-WS2) nanotubes

Abstract

Multi-walled carbon (MWCNT) and tungsten disulfide (INT-WS2) nanotubes are materials with excellent mechanical properties, high electrical and thermal conductivity. These special properties make them excellent candidates for high strength and electrically conductive polymer nanocomposite applications. In this work, the possibility of the improvement of mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) by the introduction of MWCNT and INT-WS2 nanotubes was investigated. The PTT nanocomposites with low loading of nanotubes were prepared by in situ polymerization method. Analysis of the nanocomposites' morphology carried out by SEM and TEM has confirmed that well-dispersed nanotubes in the PTT matrix were obtained at low loading (<0.5 wt%). Thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of nanocomposites was not affected by the presence of nanotubes in PTT matrix. Loading with INT-WS2 up to 0.5 wt% was insufficient to ensure electrical conductivity of PTT nanocomposite films. In the case of nanocomposites filled with MWCNT, it was found that nanotube incorporation leads to increase of electrical conductivity of PTT films by 10 orders of magnitude, approaching a value of 10−3 S/cm at loading of 0.3 wt%. Tensile properties of amorphous and semicrystalline (annealed samples) nanocomposites were affected by the presence of nanotubes. Moreover, the increase in the brittleness of semicrystalline nanocomposites with the increase in MWCNT loading was observed, while the nanocomposites filled with INT-WS2 were less brittle than neat PTT. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.