Preparation and thermal properties of multiwalled carbon nanotube/polybenzoxazine nanocomposites

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, we prepared nanocomposites comprising multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and polybenzoxazine (PBZ). The MWCNTs were purified through microwave digestion to remove most of the amorphous carbon and metal impurities. After purification, MWCNTs were treated with H2SO4/HNO3 (3 : 1) to introduce hydroxyl and carboxyl groups onto their surfaces. Raman spectroscopy revealed the percentage of nanotube content improved after prolonged microwave treatment, as evidenced by the decrease in the ratio of the D (1328 cm−1) and G (1583 cm−1) bands. For the untreated MWCNTs, the ID/IG ratio was 0.56. After microwave treatment for 40 min, the value decreased to 0.29, indicating that the percentage of nanotube content improved. Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMAs) revealed that the storage moduli and the Tgs of the MWCNTs/PBZ nanocomposites were higher than that of the pristine PBZ. This is due to the nanometer‐scale MWCNTs restricting the motion of the macromolecular chains in the nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image revealed that the MWCNTs were well dispersed within the PBZ matrix on the nanoscale when the MWCNT content was less than 2.0 phr. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the nanocomposites decreased on increasing the MWCNTs content. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011