Strength Of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Research Articles

Support vector machine-based prediction of unconfined compressive strength of Multi-Walled Carbon nanotube doped soil-fly ash mixes

Support vector machine-based prediction of unconfined compressive strength of Multi-Walled Carbon nanotube doped soil-fly ash mixes

Analysis of quantum effects of fine scaling on the axial buckling of MWCNTs based on the density functional theory and molecular mechanics method

In this paper, quantum and molecular mechanics are used to study the quantum effects of fine scaling on the buckling strength of multi-walled carbon nanotubes under axial loading, as well as the effects of changes in length, diameter, chirality, wall number and length-to-diameter ratio of the structure. To this end, the total potential energy of the system is calculated with the consideration of both bond stretching and bond angular variations. The density functional theory along with the generalized gradient approximation function is used to obtain the relevant elastic constants of the nanotubes. An excellent agreement is found between the present numerical results and those found in the literature which confirms the validity as well as the accuracy of the present closed-form solution. The results show that in the effective longitudinal range for quantum effects of fine scaling, any change that leads to a change in the size of the structure has significant effects on the buckling strength of the structure. By increasing the diameter due to the increase in the number of walls or chirality and increasing the length of the structure, the critical buckling strength experiences a decreasing trend and this decrease is highly dependent on the increasing of the diameter due to the increase in the number of walls. In addition, zigzag multi-walled carbon nanotubes are more resistant than armchair multi-walled nanotubes, and the critical buckling strain of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with different chiralities is in the range of zigzag and armchair nanotubes. In other words, it can be said that quantum effects of fine scaling cause more buckling strengthening of the structure against external axial loads and with each longitudinal change that reduces the quantum effects of fine scaling, the strength of the structure decreases sharply.

Torsional buckling analysis of MWCNTs considering quantum effects of fine scaling based on DFT and molecular mechanics method

In this paper, quantum and molecular mechanics are used to study the quantum effects of fine scaling on the buckling strength of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), as well as the effects of changes in length, diameter, chirality, wall number and length-to-diameter ratio of the structure under torsional loading. To this end, the total potential energy of the system is calculated with the consideration of both bond stretching and bond angular variations. The density functional theory (DFT) along with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) function is used to obtain the relevant elastic constants of the nanotubes. The study shows that the quantum effects of fine scaling cause more buckling strength of the structure against external torsional loadings. Also, with any longitudinal change as well as the changes in the structural arrangement that reduce the quantum effects of fine scaling, the strength of the structure decreases sharply.

Liquid-Phase Assisted Engineering of Highly Strong SiC Composite Reinforced by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes.

Despite the ultrahigh intrinsic strength of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), the strengthening effect on ceramic matrix composite remains far from expectation mainly due to the weak load transfer between the reinforcement and ceramic matrix. With the assistance of the in situ pullout test, it is revealed that the liquid‐phase sintering (LPS) can serve as a novel strategy to achieve effective load transfer in MWCNT reinforced ceramic matrix composites. The YAlO3 formed liquid phase during spark plasma sintering of SiC composite greatly facilitates radical elastic deformation of MWCNT, leading to highly increased interfacial shear strength (IFSS) as well as interlayer shear resistance (ISR) of nested walls. The liquid phase with superior wettability can even penetrate into the defects of MWCNT, which further increases the ISR of MWCNT. Moreover, the first‐principles calculation indicates that the oxygen terminated YAlO3 phase displays much stronger bonding compared with SiC matrix, which is also responsible for the large IFSS in the composite. As a result, as high as 30% improvement of bending strength is achieved in the composite with only 3 wt% MWCNT in comparison to the monolithic ceramic, manifesting the unprecedented strengthening effect of MWCNT assisted by LPS.

NICKEL-BASED MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBE COMPOSITE COATINGS

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely known as nanomaterials with excellent mechanical properties. Previous studies reported that the tensile strength of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was up to 63 GPa and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) could reach 150 GPa while the highest tensile strength of the steel was found to be about 1.8 GPa. SWCNTs could have Young’s modulus up to 1000 GPa that was much greater than the value of 209 GPa of steel. Therefore, there is a great potential to utilize CNTs as reinforced materials for composites in general and Ni electrodeposition coating in particular to improve hardness, durability, corrosion, and other physical and mechanical properties. This paper presents results of preparing and examining characteristics of the Nickel electrodeposition coatings containing MWCNTs (Ni-MWCNTs). The Ni-MWCNTs composite coatings deposited on a steel plate with the area of 0.4 dm2 using bipolar pulses at 470 Hz and 50oC in a 5-liter bath. Amount of CNTs varying from 1 g/l to 3 g/l was dispersed into the solution by using surfactants and ultrasonic vibration. CNTs used in the study was MWCNTs diameters in the range from 20 to 90 nanometers and few micrometers in length. The SEM, EDS, hardness and adhesion tests were conducted to analyze the properties of the electrodeposition coatings. The obtained results indicated that the hardness and adhesion of the Ni-CNTs coating were 1.5 and 1.46 times, respectively, higher than those of the Ni coating. In addition, adhesion of the Ni-CNTs coating was significantly improved.

Tunable mechanical properties of MWCNT–glass fiber fabric reinforced epoxy composites by controlling MWCNTs dispersing conditions

A novel, simple and cost-effective method, which is capable of easily tailoring the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), was developed here to fabricate the MWCNT–glass fiber fabric (MWCNT–GFf) multiscale composites with tunable mechanical properties. MWCNTs were dispersed into the commercial GFfs through the combined effect of the ultrasound and amino silane (AS) firstly, followed by a resin infusion process. By tuning the ultrasonic power and AS concentration, it is possible to control the MWCNTs dispersion level and subsequently mechanical properties of resultant composite. Making use of optimal dispersion conditions, which involves the optimal combination of ultrasonic power and AS concentration, the interlaminar shear strength of MWCNT–GFf reinforced composites was dramatically increased by 40.5%, and the storage modulus in the glassy region and rubbery region was improved by 27.7% and 125.0%, respectively. The work demonstrates the great promise of this novel method toward practical, industrial application in manufacturing fiber-reinforced composites with superior mechanical properties.

Preparation of PEEK/MWCNTs composites with excellent mechanical and tribological properties

The high strength of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) indicates promising properties for industry applications to reduce frictional coefficient and improve mechanical properties, yet few researches have referred to its structural morphology on the thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties of composites. In this work, three different lengths of MWCNTs were used to prepare polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composites and investigate the effect of structural morphology of MWCNTs on the thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties of composites. Different lengths of MWCNTs endowed PEEK composites with different thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties. On thermal and mechanical properties, the incorporation of 10–30 μm length of MWCNTs increased more the effectiveness on the crystallization rate, showing a higher crystallization temperature and the best mechanical properties of the PEEK composites. On tribological properties, approximately 50 μm MWCNTs can effectively decrease adhesive wear, which is a benefit of forming a thin transfer film, thereby effectively decreasing the coefficient of friction and improving the wear resistance.

Effect of mixing duration on flexural strength of multi walled carbon nanotubes cementitious composites

This paper investigates the effect of mixing duration on the flexural strength of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforced cementitious composites. Each batch containing 0.03%, 0.08%, 0.15% or 0.25% MWCNT to cement weight fractions was prepared using mixing durations of 1.5, 15, 30, and 60min. On the 28th day, the flexural strengths of the specimens prepared from the batches, were obtained using three-point bending tests. The specimen microstructures were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and image analysis techniques. The purpose of the investigation was to identify potential relationships between strength, dispersion, void ratio, and mixing duration. The results showed that increasing the mixing duration improved the dispersion and strength of most MWCNT reinforced cementitious batches. They also showed a high flexural strength increase for MWCNT reinforced cementitious batches containing a 0.25% CNT to cement weight fraction and mixed for 60min. Moreover, the results showed that increasing the mixing duration resulted in a reduction of the percent void ratio of MWCNT reinforced cementitious batches. These findings are significant for a wide variety of concrete applications where higher flexural strength and small void are needed.

Relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties in acid-treated carbon nanotube-reinforced alumina composites

Alumina composites reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at up to 3.7 vol% are prepared by a precursor method followed by a spark plasma sintering. We systematically and quantitatively investigate the effects of acid-treatment time of the MWCNTs on not only bending strength and fracture toughness of the composites but also on the mechanical strength and dispersibility of the MWCNTs, the grain size of the alumina matrix, and the interfacial strength between MWCNT and alumina. The main objective of this study is to evaluate how these parameters influence the mechanical properties with the aid of multiple regression analysis. We demonstrate that the matrix grain size, the mechanical strength of the MWCNTs, and the interfacial strength have little impact on the mechanical properties for the composites prepared in this study. On the other hand, the dispersibility of MWCNTs has the significant influence on the mechanical properties. Both the dispersibility of the MWCNTs and the mechanical properties of the composites increase as the acid-treatment time increases up to 2 h at low MWCNT content (0.9 vol%). Conversely, at a higher amount of MWCNTs, the degradation in the mechanical properties is shown to be associated with the deterioration of MWCNTs’ dispersibility. As MWCNT agglomerates are anticipated to act as imperfections, they may override the effects of the strength of MWCNTs, matrix grain size, and interfacial strength. By means of the multiple regression analysis, we quantitatively show that improving MWCNTs’ dispersibility is one of the most important factors in enhancing the mechanical properties of MWCNT/alumina composites.

Effects of Surface Modification of MWCNT on the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Fluoro Elastomer/MWCNT Nanocomposites

Surface modification is a good way to improve the surface activity and interfacial strength of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) when used as fillers in the polymer composites. Among the reported methods for nanotube modification, mixed acid oxidation and plasma treatment is often used by introducing polar groups to the sidewall of MWCNT successfully. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of different surface modification of MWCNT on the mechanical property and electrical conductivity of Fluoro‐elastomer (FE)/MWCNT nanocomposites. MWCNTs were surface modified by mixed oxidation and CF4 plasma treatment and then used to reinforce the fluoro elastomer (FE, a copolymer of trifluorochloroethylene and polyvinylidene fluoride). FE/MWCNT composite films were prepared from mixture solutions of ethylacetate and butylacetate, using untreated CNTs (UCNTs), acid‐modified CNTs (ACNTs), and CF4 plasma‐modified CNT (FCNTs). In each case, MWCNT content was 0.01 wt%, 0.05 wt%, 0.1 wt%, and 0.2 wt% with respect to the polymer. Morphology and mechanical properties were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, as well as dynamic mechanical tests. The SEM results indicated that dispersion of ACNTs and especially FCNTs in FE was better than that of UCNTs. DMA indicated mechanical properties of FCNT composites were improved over ACNT and UCNT filled FE. The resulting electrical properties of the composites ranged from dielectric behavior to bulk conductivities of 10−2 Sm−1 and were found to depend strongly on the surface modification methods of MWCNTs.