Agglomeration Of Carbon Nanotubes Research Articles

Non-linear stability characteristics of randomly distributed CNT-reinforced fiber composite beams under thermo-mechanical loadings

The aim of the present study is to elucidate the non-linear stability characteristics of randomly distributed carbon nanotube-reinforced fiber composite (RD-CNTRFC) beams subjected to thermo-mechanical loading. Effective material properties of RD-CNTRFC are estimated using the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach and Halpin–Tsai micromechanical techniques. The material properties are considered to be temperature-dependent, and the influence of carbon nanotube (CNT) agglomeration is also incorporated in material properties estimation of hybrid matrix. The strain-displacement relations are assumed by incorporating the higher-order shear deformation theory and geometrical nonlinearity (von Kármán). The governing partial differential equations are obtained by minimizing the total potential energy of the beam. Buckling loads of beam subjected to in-plane compressive loads are estimated using Eigen value approach. Similarly, buckling temperatures are also determined by solving Eigenvalue problem iteratively due to temperature-dependent material properties. The non-linear equilibrium paths under thermal and mechanical loadings are traced through iterative Eigenvalue approach. Numerical results are presented to elucidate the influence of various parameters like CNT agglomeration, ply sequences, span-to-depth ratio, boundary conditions, and mass fraction of CNTs.

Fluidization and Application of Carbon Nano Agglomerations.

Carbon nanomaterials are unique with excellent functionality and diverse structures. However, agglomerated structures are commonly formed because of small-size effects and surface effects. Their hierarchical assembly into micro particles enables carbon nanomaterials to break the boundaries of classical Geldart particle classification before stable fluidization under gas-solid interactions. Currently, there are few systematic reports regarding the structural evolution and fluidization mechanism of carbon nano agglomerations. Based on existing research on carbon nanomaterials, this article reviews the fluidized structure control and fluidization principles of prototypical carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as well as their nanocomposites. The controlled agglomerate fluidization technology leads to the successful mass production of agglomerated and aligned CNTs. In addition, the self-similar agglomeration of individual ultralong CNTs and nanocomposites with silicon as model systems further exemplify the important role of surface structure and particle-fluid interactions. These emerging nano agglomerations have endowed classical fluidization technology with more innovations in advanced applications like energy storage, biomedical, and electronics. This review aims to provide insights into the connections between fluidization and carbon nanomaterials by highlighting their hierarchical structural evolution and the principle of agglomerated fluidization, expecting to showcase the vitality and connotation of fluidization science and technology in the new era.

Supercapacitors Based on Spider Nest–Shaped Nickel Foam Electrodes Operating in Seawater

Abstract An environmental-friendly supercapacitor based on aqueous electrolyte was fabricated. Electrodes with conductive spider nest–shaped three-dimensional (3D) porous structures were prepared for the assembly of symmetric supercapacitors. The nickel foam was modified by multiwalled carbon nanotubes and β-cyclodextrin. The construction of the spider nest was stabilized via the chemical bond inside carbon nanotubes, π–π stack effects among carbon nanotubes, and physical adsorption between nickel foam and carbon nanotubes substrate. The role of β-cyclodextrin is a dispersant to prevent agglomeration of carbon nanotubes, thereby enhancing electroactive surface area of nickel foam and improving the specific capacitance of the electrodes. Furthermore, the electrodes exhibited excellent rate capability. The obtained symmetrical supercapacitors exhibited an excellent power density of 17,561.3 W kg−1, a good specific capacitance of 398.8 F g−1, and an energy density of 154.8 Wh kg−1 for 4000 cycles with outstanding cycling stability. In addition, the specific capacitance, energy density, and power density of the supercapacitor operating in seawater were found to be 100.2 F g−1, 17.8 Wh kg−1, and 2568 Wh kg−1, respectively, for 3000 cycles. Overall, our findings indicate that the supercapacitor could stably operate in seawater and shows potential for use as an ecofriendly power supply to marine engineering equipment.

Insight into the carbon nanotube agglomeration deteriorated fire safety of epoxy

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy composite is a star lightweight structure material. However, the reason why well-dispersed CNTs retard the combustion of epoxy while CNT agglomerations always accelerate it instead seems still confusing, which severely limits the further understanding and design of the high-performance CNT/epoxy composite. Herein, with CNT agglomerations inside, 4coCNT/epoxy composite and 2coCNT0.5/epoxy composite were prepared to reveal the truth of the dramatically worsened flame retarding performances compared with their expected values. The void-rich CNT agglomerations were proved to be qualified candlewick-like fillers after directly observing the formations of micron-diameter fiber-like agglomerations by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (XCT); verifying the ability of CNT agglomerations to allow the epoxy melt to wet, spread, and flow on their surface. The thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and the limited oxygen index (LOI) results suggested that fire is necessary for the CNT agglomeration to worsen the thermostability of composites. With the presence of the liquid-phase combustible epoxy melt in the fire captured by a high-definition camera, all the requirements to induce the candlewick effect were satisfied. Ruling out a popular explanation that the agglomerated CNTs promote polymers' inflammability by cracking chars created during the combustion, a similar but distinct candlewick effect was then proposed and specially defined as “nano-candlewick effect” in the present study. The nano-candlewick effect defeated the flame-retarding free radical scavenging effect of the dangling bonds from coCNT and coCNT0.5, and further worsened the flame retardancy of the epoxy matrix. The detailed working mechanism of the nano-candlewick effect was described. The mechanism is supposed to be appropriate for polymer nanocomposites with candlewick-like fillers inside, and account for the dramatically accelerated combustion.

Porosity-dependent stability analysis of bio-inspired cellular nanocomposite shells

This paper presents an innovative numerical model to investigate buckling behaviour of bio-inspired continuously graded porous (CGP) nanocomposite cylindrical shells. It is postulated that the shell subjected to combined lateral pressure and axial compressive load is constructed from metal foams with closed-cell structures that possess graded internal pores, which exhibit three types of continuously graded porosity profiles based on a power-law distribution. A scaling relation for the effective Young’s modulus of the cellular structure determined by a variational finite element method (FEM) is used. The effective constitutive law of an elastic isotropic metal matrix containing distributed elastic carbon-nanotubes (CNTs) is estimated in consideration of the impact of CNTs agglomeration using a continuum model based on the Eshelby–Mori–Tanaka (EMT) approach. In contrast to conventional approaches, the study employs Euler–Bernoulli beams to model stiffeners within the CGP shells. This choice allows for a more realistic representation of stiffener effects, as opposed to the prevalent approach of uniform smearing across the shell’s surface. The equilibrium equations of the CGP shell, based on the Reddy higher-order shell theory (RHST), is obtained through the application of the Euler equation. Subsequently, the equations for stability are obtained through the utilization of the variational method. This study emphasizes the effects of geometrical parameters, porosity variability, and distribution of CNTs on the buckling performance of the CGP shells. The intricate interplay between CNTs and porosity distributions critically influences the stability behaviour of CGP shells. CNTs arrangement remarkably impacts buckling behaviour at higher length-to-mean radius ratios, while symmetric porosity near the mid-surface significantly enhances stiffness. These findings provide valuable insights for designing closed-cell cellular stiffened shells with optimal porosity to enhance stability.

The effect of interphase and agglomeration on the mechanical properties of aluminum matrix nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes

The interphase phenomena are a critical problem for estimating the mechanical behavior of carbon nanotube-reinforced aluminum composites. In this research, the Aluminum-carbide (Al4C3) interphase and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) agglomeration effects on the mechanical properties of Aluminum /Carbon nanotubes composites are investigated using a numerical micromechanical model. Moreover, the impacts of the CNTs fraction, agglomeration, Al4C3 interphase, and their diameter on the elastic modulus of Aluminum (Al) composites are explored. The results demonstrated the effect of CNTs agglomeration and Al4C3 interphase on Young’s modulus of Al composites significantly when the CNT fraction increases; In addition, it observed that with increasing interphase thickness, Young’s modulus of Al composites increases and is changed with variation of agglomeration shape. The Literature’s experimental results validated the applicability of the present finite element (FE) model. The results of this study are hard evidence for CNT/ Aluminum composites creating potential applications in industry, especially for automobile and aircraft fields.

Analysis of Acid Diffusion Effects on Physical Properties of Polymer Composites: A Combined Study of Mechanical and Electrical Characterization

In this study, we examined the impact of carbon nanotube (CNT) concentration on the mechanical properties of epoxy/CNT composites under acid exposure. Samples with varying CNT concentrations (0% to 5%) were fabricated and characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and nanoindentation. Beyond the percolation threshold, the composites experienced decreased bulk mechanical properties due to CNT agglomeration. Acid exposure for one week and one month revealed a gradient of properties from the sample’s skin to its core. Overall, the composites exhibited modified physical properties, with degradation influenced by the CNT concentration. Higher concentrations acted as barriers but also created pathways for acid diffusion through pores surrounding CNT agglomerates. The agreement between nanoindentation and vector network analyzer (VNA) measurements further supported our findings. This convergence of mechanical and electromagnetic characterization techniques holds promise for wireless structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Our study enhances the understanding of epoxy/CNT composites for SHM applications. The relationship between CNT concentration, acid exposure, and mechanical properties guides material selection and the development of real-time damage-detection techniques. Integrating multiple measurement techniques, as demonstrated by the agreement between nanoindentation and VNA data, provides a comprehensive understanding of structural behavior, improving SHM practices.

Bending and free vibration analyses of CNTRC shell structures considering agglomeration effects with through-the-thickness stretch

The present work investigates an enhanced finite element model and numerical analysis to illustrate the agglomeration effect of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) on static and free vibration responses of reinforced composite plate and cylindrical panel shell. The developed model is based on the kinematics of the improved first-order-shear deformation theory (FSDT), assuming a parabolic variation of the transverse shear strains and fulfilling the zero circumstance of the transverse shear stresses at the extreme structure’ surfaces omitting the use of shear correction factors. The material properties of the nanocomposite are determined using a developed micromechanical model based on the Mori–Tanaka approach. The developed finite element formulation is based on three-dimensional constitutive equations without reduction involving the addition of one parameter of thickness change combined with the Enhanced Assumed Strain (EAS) method. Four enhancement models are established and discussed. In a first attempt, the improvement of the third bending strain using one or four parameters are presented. In a second attempt, the membrane strain is enhanced with four parameters. Due to lack of investigations on structural behavior of composite structures reinforced with agglomerated CNTs, new static and free vibration results for shell structures with three level of CNT agglomeration are examined. Parametric studies are here in developed to present the influences of the characteristic parameters on the structural behavior of the CNTRC shell in a new graphic way; such as the volume fraction and agglomeration of nanofibers, geometrical parameters, and boundary conditions. Based on numerical results, it is found that the agglomeration and distributions of the reinforcing fibers are really crucial and play a significant role on the static and vibrational performances of the structure.

Understanding the evolution of microstructure, phase homogeneity, electrochemical characteristics and surface chemistry of electrodeposited MnCrCoFeNiCu high entropy alloy coating with reinforcement of carbon nanotubes

MnCrCoFeNiCu high entropy alloy (HEA) coatings with varying volume fractions of carbon nanotube (CNT) were electrodeposited on mild steel. Morphology, phase constitution, wettability, surface oxide chemistry and corrosion of coatings were examined. Coating morphology became finer with initial CNT incorporation and then transformed to rougher surface for higher CNT volume fractions. Pristine HEA coating contained mixture of body centre cubic (bcc) and face centre cubic (fcc) phases. With the CNT addition phase homogenization happened and for the HEAC3 coating (from electrolyte with 5 mg/L concentration of CNT) single phase bcc microstructure was obtained. The phase mixture however re-evolved for the higher CNT incorporation due to CNT agglomeration and reduction in the metal-CNT interfaces. Water contact angle was 127° for HEA_C3 coating. All the HEA-CNT coatings exhibited higher corrosion resistance than the pristine HEA coating, corrosion rate trend was however not monotonic with CNT volume fraction and maximum corrosion resistance was observed for the HEA_C3 coating. Surface oxide chemistry of exposed sample showed stabler oxide over the HEA-CNT coatings when compared to the oxides of the pristine HEA coating. Higher corrosion resistance of the HEA_C3 coating was due to compact morphology, hydrophobicity, phase homogenization and evolution of stable surface oxides.

Towards a More Conductive and Stronger Cellulose-CNTs Composite Film through Controlling the Texture

ABSTRACT Dispersion state of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) film at variant sonication time in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been studied in this work. The sonication was extended up to 120 min, and the CNF-CNTs-SDS suspension’s viscosity was measured at different times. Overall, viscosity of CNF-CNTs-SDS suspension decreased continuously as sonication continued except for the period of 60–75 min, where an increase in the viscosity was observed. Based on morphological investigations, the partial dispersion of particles at the early stage of sonication (i.e. up to 60 min) was followed by coagulation or reagglomeration of the particles during 60–75 min and increasing sonication time by 120 min led to improved dispersion of CNTs in CNFs. Likewise, the electrical conductivity and tensile strength obeyed the same trend due to improved CNTs-CNFs film’s network (30–60 and 75–120 min) and the corresponding reduction (60–75 min) caused by the partial agglomeration of CNT and CNF moieties. These findings highlight that sonication time is not a straightforward parameter and should be elaborated to reach the desired dispersion.

Balancing the strength and toughness of polypropylene/carbon nanotube nanocomposites by shear and high‐temperature annealing

AbstractMelt‐mixed polypropylene (PP) and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are molded by compression molding, conventional injection molding, and interval injection molding (IntM). IntM can provide high‐shear stress promoting the dispersion of CNTs and forming many shish‐kebab structures, which can improve the strength at the cost of toughness. Meanwhile, high‐temperature annealing (HTA) can be finished in 3 min and can release free molecular chains, enhance orientation, and further promote the dispersion of CNTs, thus improving toughness at the expense of strength. Therefore, in this work, IntM and HTA are combined, which can balance and enhance both the toughness and strength of PP‐CNT nanocomposites. For different CNT contents, the enhancement effect also differs. The combined IntM and HTA do not require replacing existing production equipment, so this research can provide a more economical and practical approach to enhancing PP‐CNT nanocomposites.Highlights HTA can be finished in 3 min and promote the dispersion of CNT agglomerates. IntM can enhance the orientation and dispersion of CNTs. Combined IntM and HTA can enhance and balance toughness and strength.

Agglomeration effect on biomechanical performance of CNT-reinforced dental implant using micromechanics-based approach

Dental implants have long played an important role in restoring lost teeth, but there are still concerns about their durability and long-term success. Commercial dental implants have traditionally been made of metallic and ceramic materials like titanium and zirconia; however, each kind of material has restrictions regarding osseointegration and mechanical characteristics that differ between native bone and the implant material, limiting the implant's longevity and reliability. To address these concerns, this research explores the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in restorative dentistry, their excellent properties make them an ideal candidate for promoting bone growth around implanted device and ensuring long-lasting success. The objective of this study was to understand how CNT properties when incorporated into the titanium matrix may be able to better adapt to the oral environment taking into consideration the CNT agglomeration effects when designing reinforced nanocomposite materials for dental implant. A mathematical formulation of the micromechanics model was developed and improved to extend its application for the case of CNT-based composite materials for dental implants. A three dimensional (3D) model of bone structure around the osseointegrated dental implant was established considering different compositions of implant material. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) were conducted to assess the aggregation effect of implant incorporating CNTs into the titanium matrix, considering CNTs with both spherical inclusions (CNT clusters), and randomly dispersive ones (CNTs) in the titanium matrix, on osseointegration and bone remodeling around the dental implant and supporting bone system over a period of 48 months. Firstly, the effects of CNT-Ti implantation on time-dependent performance are evaluated in a computational remodeling framework. Then, Von Mises equivalent stresses are investigated to evaluate the stress distributions and micromotions in jaw bones of loaded implant with different composition of prosthetic material. Three agglomeration patterns are considered, particularly without agglomeration (ζ = ξ), partial and complete agglomeration (ζ < ξ, ξ = 1). Further, the influence of CNTs volume fraction variation is taken into account to predict the mechanical response of the bony system after CNT-reinforced dental implantation. It can be inferred that the agglomeration of CNTs reduces the elastic stiffness of the matrix. This is due to the fact that when CNTs are agglomerated, the inter-tube contacts are reduced and the effective stiffness of the matrix is decreased.

Features of formation and structure of bacterial cellulose-carbon nanotube composites

This paper examines the features of formation and structure of bacterial cellulose (BC) composites with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We aim to study the influence of initial components on structure and crystallinity of BC composites. We use optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy in order to investigate the surface morphology of BC composite films and X-ray diffraction analysis to determine the crystallographic structure of prepared samples. It is shown that CNT agglomerates in BC composite interact only with the surface layers of BC. CNTs and their bundles up to 50 nm in diameter are able to effectively penetrate into the BC network.

Versatile cellulose nanofibril assisted preparation of ultralight, scalable carbon nanotube aerogel-based electromagnetic wave absorbers with ultrahigh reflection loss

The sustainable cellulose nanofibril (CNF) was efficiently utilized to facilitate the preparation of a type of ultralight, high-porosity carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid aerogel-based electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers. CNF not only serves as a green surfactant to avoid the agglomeration of CNT, but also acts as supporting matrix or binder to promote the construction of porous CNT-based aerogels. Furthermore, the CNF precursor contributes to the generation of CNF-derived nanocarbon (CNFC) for a high-efficiency dielectric modulator, leading to the tuneable electromagnetic parameters and good impedance matching. Combined with the loss capacity of CNFC, the EMW absorption performance of CNT-based aerogels is enhanced. Consequently, the hybrid aerogels show EMW absorption performance involving an effective absorption bandwidth of 3.3 GHz and an ultrahigh reflection loss of −76.46 dB at a filling ratio of 5 wt%, outperforming that of other CNT-based EMW absorbers ever reported. The synergistic effects of multiple EMW absorption mechanisms for the hybrid aerogels were analyzed at length, demonstrating the indispensable roles of the CNF or CNFC in constructing high-efficiency CNT-based EMW absorbers. Combined with the green, sustainable, facile, and scalable preparation approach, the carbon aerogel-based EMW absorbers are highly promising for applications in electromagnetic compatibility or protection and aerospace.

Simultaneously Encapsulating Co/Co2P Nanoparticles Inside and Growing Vertical Graphene Nanosheets Outside for N‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes as Efficient Sulfur Carriers for High‐Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Agglomeration of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) extremely hampers utilization of active surface area and impedes sulfur loading, which limit their application in high–energy‐density lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Herein, N‐doped carbon nanotubes with Co/Co2P nanoparticles encapsulated inside and vertical graphene (VG) nanosheets grown outside (CCP@NCNT@VGs) are prepared as efficient sulfur carriers for Li–S batteries. The Co/Co2P nanoparticles encapsulated in the NCNTs could strongly anchor polysulfide and efficiently catalyze the conversion of polysulfides to Li2S, while the 3D hierarchical conductive network constructed by the vertical graphene nanosheets and NCNT quickly transfer electrons and improve the conversion kinetics of polysulfides. The as‐synthesized hierarchical structure combines conductivity with anchoring and catalysis, significantly elevating the electrochemical performance of the Li–S batteries. Hence, even at a high mass loading of 7 mg cm−2, the CCP@NCNT@VGs/S electrode with limited electrolyte/sulfur ratio (4 μL mg−1) exhibits a high areal capacity of 7 mAh cm−2, showing great application potential in the field of energy storage.

The effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes dispersion and agglomeration in aluminum matrix: Fabrication and finite element simulation

This paper provides novel research on the effect of full dispersion and agglomeration of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in the Aluminum (AL) matrix. The effect was investigated using the representative volume element (RVE) and finite element method (FEM). The acquired findings were compared to the experimental method (EXP) to assess the correctness of the employed method. In the investigation to anticipate the SWCNT rule in AL/SWCNT mechanical properties, RVE and FEM approach focused on two primary conditions: SWCNT complete dispersion and via agglomeration. Al/SWCNT was manufactured using powder technology. SEM images revealed that there were local SWCNT agglomerations within the composites at greater carbon nanotube concentrations, resulting in a decrease in the specimens' elastic modulus and mechanical strength. Based on RVE and EXP methods, the elastic modulus was increased until dispersed SWCNTs were added up to 2 wt%, after which the modulus was decreased as more SWCNTs were added. The elastic modulus with EXP was compared to the RVE curve cylinder SWCNT full dispersion and curve cylinder with SWCNT agglomeration results under periodic boundary conditions (PBC). The comparison demonstrated that EXP and RVE were in an acceptance agreement. In addition, AL-SWCNT RVEs were studied under damage condition.

Machine learning assisted nonlinear deflection analysis of agglomerated carbon nanotube core smart sandwich plate with three-phase magneto-electro-elastic skin

This research focuses on evaluating the combined effects of the interphase of the three-phase magneto-electro-elastic (TPMEE) composites and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) agglomeration on the nonlinear deflection of the multifunctional sandwich plate, using an artificial neural network (ANN) assisted finite-element (FE) approach. The data points collected from the in-house developed FE computational tool are used to train the ANN model. To this end, a backpropagation-based Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is used. The core of the plate is made of agglomerated CNTs, and the facesheets are made of TPMEE composites. Two different agglomeration states, partial and complete, are considered for evaluation. Also, three variations of CNTs arrangement are assumed. On the other hand, the interphase effects are incorporated through its volume fractions and compositions. The plate kinematics is based on the higher-order shear deformation theory, and the nonlinearity is assumed to follow von Karman's strain-displacement relation. The equations of motion are derived using the total potential energy principle. Finally, the direct iterative method is used to arrive at the solutions. The numerical examples are also provided to understand the influence of coupling fields associated with the parameters, such as agglomeration, interphase volume fraction, interphase compositions and CNTs arrangement.

Experimental investigation on fabrication, characterization and properties of spark plasma sintered alumina-based tungsten carbide composites reinforced by carbon nanotubes

In this study, the alumina-based tungsten carbide (WC-Al2O3) composites reinforced by different weight percentages of carbon nanotubes were successfully prepared by the advanced spark plasma sintering technique. This study has the novelty that such composites with the given compositions were never sintered before using spark plasma sintering. The WC-Al2O3-CNTs composites were fabricated to design advanced tool materials with an optimum set of mechanical and thermal properties for high-temperature cutting applications. The experimental results revealed considerable growth in micro-hardness and fracture toughness in WC-Al2O3-CNTs composites as compared to WC-Al2O3 composites. The ideal set of mechanical properties was acquired by WC-Al2O3-CNTs-0.5 composite which also exhibited a minimum value of grain size. At higher concentrations of carbon nanotubes, the mechanical properties of composites tend to degrade due to the agglomeration of carbon nanotubes. The study presented better results in sintered composites than the composites fabricated through other sintering techniques. The improved strengthening and toughening results of WC-Al2O3-CNTs composites along with the fine microstructures were mainly acquired by inhibiting grain growth during sintering, improved dispersion of the constituents in the composites (electron probe microscopy analysis/wavelength dispersive spectroscopy mapping) and consolidation at shorter sintering periods in spark plasma sintering. A thermal study was also conducted to discuss the thermal stability of sintered composites at ambient as well as at higher temperatures to estimate the behavior of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of composites at different temperatures.

Buckling analysis of nanocomposite beams based on refined beam theory by considering the Agglomeration effect of CNTs

The present work deals with buckling load behavior of nanocomposite beams by considering the agglomeration effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and different patterns CNTs in polymeric matrix. The material properties of nanocomposite beams are estimated using the Eshelby–Mori– Tanaka approach based on an equivalent fiber. The equations of motion are derived based on refined beam strain gradient theory, employing Hamilton’s principle and using Differential Quadrature Finite Element Method (DQFEM) derived from the differential quadrature method (DQM). The results are compared with analytical results in the literature. It is remarked that mechanical properties and therefore critical buckling loads of nanocomposite beam are seriously affected by CNTs agglomeration.

Research Progress on Microstructure Design of CNTs Reinforced Al Matrix Composites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unique characteristics which make them a suitable reinforcing agent in Aluminum Metal Matrix composites. This review summarizes the work carried out in the field of the microstructure design of CNTs/Al composites. By designing the microstructure of CNTs, Al matrix and their composite interface, the problems of agglomeration, entanglement and dispersion of CNTs, wetting and bonding with Al matrix can be effectively solved, and mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus and yield strength can be improved. Such microstructural design includes metal plating on the surface of CNTs, deposition of nano-ceramic particles, Al matrix ball milling and flakes, grain refinement combined with bimodal-grain strengthening of coarse grains.