Abstract
Abstract Epoxy nanocomposites that are produced in a solvent-free environment suffer from the inadequate dispersion of nanofiller and poor interfacial interaction between the nanofiller and polymer matrix. In this work, the effect of replacing a portion of the epoxy resin with a viscosity reducing agent (VRA) on the structure, electrical and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposite have been investigated. Optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the structure of the nanocomposite at the microscale and nanoscale, respectively. For nanocomposites without VRA, it was found that the addition of CNT degrades the tensile strength and toughness; meanwhile, it enhances the flexural modulus, Young’s modulus and electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite. However, the addition of VRA retained the tensile strength of the epoxy system and maintained the improvements in flexural strength and electrical conductivity that have been achieved due to CNT addition.
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