Abstract
Developments in the synthesis and scalable manufacturing of carbon nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely used in the polymer material industry over the last few decades, resulting in a series of fascinating multifunctional composites used in fields ranging from portable electronic devices, entertainment and sports to the military, aerospace, and automotive sectors. CNTs offer good thermal and electrical properties, as well as a low density and a high Young’s modulus, making them suitable nanofillers for polymer composites. As mechanical reinforcements for structural applications CNTs are unique due to their nano-dimensions and size, as well as their incredible strength. Although a large number of studies have been conducted on these novel materials, there have only been a few reviews published on their mechanical performance in polymer composites. As a result, in this review we have covered some of the key application factors as well as the mechanical properties of CNTs-reinforced polymer composites. Finally, the potential uses of CNTs hybridised with polymer composites reinforced with natural fibres such as kenaf fibre, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre, bamboo fibre, and sugar palm fibre have been highlighted.
Highlights
Introduction distributed under the terms andcarbon nanotubes (CNTs) are cylindrical molecules made up of hexagonally arranged hybridised carbon atoms
Another study led by Wang and Zhang [40] found out that the effective thickness of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) should be smaller than 0.142 nm
The results showed an improvement in the mechanical performance of epoxy nanocomposites with both SWCNTs and single-layer graphene (SLG) fillers compared with the undoped epoxy matrix
Summary
Agglomeration and restricted dispersion in the polymer matrix, as well as the van der Waals force between CNTs and weak interplanar interactions of graphene sheets (highly polarised π-electron clouds in CNTs) firmly bind CNTs in nature, making production of advanced composites with CNTs as reinforcement difficult. The size, shape, and surface area of CNT nanomaterials are controlled by aggregation and solvent chemistry. The large surface area of CNTs results in a high viscosity of the nanotube/epoxy combination when fabricating composites with a high nanotube loading level, making nanotube dispersion difficult. The results revealed that functionalisation of CNTS surface-enhanced both the adsorption energy, mechanical and electrical characteristics. This happens towards the carbon layer’s margins but can appear further from the edges if the incorporation sites are related to vacancies. In this brief overview, the mechanical performance and factors influencing the mechanical performance of CNTs reinforced polymer composites and CNTs-reinforced polymer composites for structural applications and their prospects have been discussed
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