Abstract
Dispersion of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers is a crucial processing step in the production of polymer-based nanocomposites and poses a great challenge due to the tendency of nanofillers to agglomerate. One of the most effective methods for dispersion is the use of a three-roll mill, which is a well-established method and results in agglomerates below 5 µm. Nevertheless, this process is time-consuming and thus a limiting factor for industrial applications. Our aim was to establish an easy and efficient ultrasonic dispersion process, characterize the dispersion parameters, and compare both methods, ultrasonication and the three-roll mill. We applied rheological tests and analyzed the agglomerate sizes by an image fit of the microscopy images. All these analyses combined deliver a valuable set of information about the dispersion’s quality and, therefore, allows the improvement and further adaptation of the dispersion process.
Highlights
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Two widely used methods fulfilling this task properly are calendaring on a three-roll mill (TRM) directly in the resin [15] and ultrasonication (US) in an additional solvent system [9]
Note: the TRM dispersion plot is evaluated with a logarithmic y-axis
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Fromyr et al dispersed 1 wt% MWCNT directly in hardener using 3 wt% Disperbyk 2150 as additional dispersing agent and used dynamic light scattering to estimate the particle size distributions. This method is restricted by the fact that particle sizes larger than 2 μm cannot be detected [24]. Little is reported on incorporation methods by directly dispersing the nanotubes in the resin-hardener mixture [25,26] In both studies, the dispersion quality was not investigated.
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