Abstract
Composites of polyethylene oxide (PEO) filled with carbon nanofiber (CNF) were prepared using solution mixing followed by melt mixing. The morpho- logy and thermophysical properties of these composites and of pristine polyethylene oxide were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calo- rimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamical mechanical analysis. Crystallization kinetic data were an- alyzed within the Avrami approximation for the pri- mary stage of crystallization. The influence of CNF on the temperature dependence crystallization of PEO and the tendency of forming three-dimensional crystallites at higher crystallization temperature were observed. The nucleation features of CNFs dispersed within PEO were investigated by using Lauritzen-Hoffman nucleation theory. Crystallization activation energies were also com- puted; the results are in agreement with the Lauritzen- Hoffman theory. Thermogravimetric analysis and dyna- mical mechanical analysis showed a gradual increase of the thermal stability and of the storage modulus of the polymeric matrix due to the loading with CNFs and formation of a polymer-carbon nanofiber interface. V C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 3574- 3580, 2011
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