Effects of the Nanofillers on Physical Properties of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Nanocomposites: Comparison of Graphene Nanoplatelets and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes.

Sithiprumnea Dul,Alessandro Pegoretti,Luca Fambri

doi:10.3390/nano8090674

Abstract

The effects of carbonaceous nanoparticles, such as graphene (GNP) and multiwall carbon nanotube (CNT) on the mechanical and electrical properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) nanocomposites have been investigated. Samples with various filler loadings were produced by solvent free process. Composites ABS/GNP showed higher stiffness, better creep stability and processability, but slightly lower tensile strength and electrical properties (low conductivity) when compared with ABS/CNT nanocomposites. Tensile modulus, tensile strength and creep stability of the nanocomposite, with 6 wt % of GNP, were increased by 47%, 1% and 42%, respectively, while analogous ABS/CNT nanocomposite showed respective values of 23%, 12% and 20%. The electrical percolation threshold was achieved at 7.3 wt % for GNP and 0.9 wt % for CNT. The peculiar behaviour of conductive CNT nanocomposites was also evidenced by the observation of the Joule’s effect after application of voltages of 12 and 24 V. Moreover, comparative parameters encompassing stiffness, melt flow and resistivity were proposed for a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of the fillers.

Highlights

During recent decades, polymer nanocomposites with carbon-based nanofillers have been extensively investigated for fabrication of multifunctional materials with tailored properties, including high mechanical, thermal and electrical performance
The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the fracture surfaces of ABS/graphene and ABS/carbon nanotube (CNT) samples are represented in Figures 2a–d and 2e–f, respectively
Using a solvent free mixing process, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and CNT nanofillers were properly dispersed in ABS matrix up to their maximum concentration, that is, 30% and 8% by wt, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Polymer nanocomposites with carbon-based nanofillers have been extensively investigated for fabrication of multifunctional materials with tailored properties, including high mechanical, thermal and electrical performance. Among these nanofillers, different form of graphene and carbon nanotubes have been commonly utilized due to their extraordinary intrinsic properties [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Only tensile properties and theoretical model of the modulus of ABS nanocomposites were reported

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