• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

CNT-polypropylene (PP) composites were compounded by solvent dispersion method with uniform dispersion by using twin screw extruder. Damage sensing effects based on conductive carbon nanotubes (CNT) were evaluated to monitor the internal damage of CNT-PP composites using electrical resistance measurement. Mechanical and interfacial properties of CNT-PP composites were investigated and compared with neat PP. The mechanical properties of PP matrix were improved after adding CNT, because of the reinforcing effect of CNT fillers. In order to monitor the internal damage of CNT-PP composite, the change in electrical resistance of the composites was measured under fatigue loading and bending tests. CNT fillers exhibited good sensing under electrical resistance measurements. It is shown that CNT-PP composites with low CNT contents allow identifying critical cyclic loading, which are found to be accompanied with the internal failure.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2016

Silicon/Carbon/CNT composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries were synthesized to overcome the large volume change during lithium alloying-de alloying process and low electrical conductivity. Silicon/Carbon/CNT composites were prepared by the fabrication processes including the synthesis of SBA-15, magnesiothermic reduction of SBA-15 to obtain Si/MgO by ball milling, carbonization of phenolic resin with CNT and HCl etching. The prepared Silicon/Carbon/CNT composites were analysed by XRD, SEM, BET and EDS. In this study, the electrochemical effect of CNT content to improve the capacity and cycle performance was investigated by charge/discharge, cycle, cyclic voltammetry and impedance tests. The coin cell using Silicon/Carbon/CNT composite (Si:CNT=93:7 in weight) in the electrolyte of $LiPF_6$ dissolved in organic solvents (EC:DMC:EMC=1:1:1 vol%) has better capacity (1718 mAh/g) than those of other composition coin cells. The cycle performance of coin cell was improved as CNT content was increased. It is found that the coin cell (Si:CNT=89:11 in weight) has best capacity retension (83%) after 2nd cycle.

• Composites Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.219-224
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• 2014

Nancomposites manufacture has been developed rapidly, because of reinforcing effects of CNT in terms of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. In this study, 10 wt% CNT paste was fabricated with good dispersion state and easy processability. Damage sensing and reinforcing effect of CNT paste were investigated in nanocomposites. 10 wt% CNT paste exhibited better tensile and flexural properties than those of general 1 wt% CNT nanocomposites. To observe the healing effect of CNT paste, a crack was made artificially with 30wt% CF30wt%/PP composites, and the CNT paste was filled inside the crack. The damage sensing of CNT paste in CF30wt%/PP composites was investigated by electrical resistance measurement and mechanical tests. CNT paste exhibited good reinforcing effect in mechanical properties of CF30wt%/PP composites, and this reinforcing effect was getting better with larger cracks. The reason was because CNT paste had good interfacial adhesion with CF30wt%/PP composites to resist crack propagation. In electrical resistance measurement, there was a jump in electrical resistance signal at the adhesion interface. The jumping signal could be used to predict fracture of CF/PP composites. CNT nanocomposites for damage sensing had crack reducing effect and damage detection using electrical resistance method.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2014

Nanocomposites based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/(PVDF) blended with carbon fibers (CF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) were prepared by melt mixing in the twin screw extruder. Morphologies of the PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT and PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites were investigated using SEM. The aggregation of CNT was observed in PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites while the good dispersion of CNT was shown in PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites. In SEM image of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposite, the CNT were mainly located at the PET domain of phase-separated PET/PVDF blend due to the ${\pi}-{\pi}$ interaction between the phenyl ring of PET and graphite sheet of the CNT's surface. In addition, a fairly good compatibility between PET/PVDF matrix and CF was shown in the SEM image. In the case of PET/PVDF nanocomposites blended with the co-addition of CF and CNT, the volume electrical resistivity decreased while no change was observed in PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT composites. The degree of CNT dispersion in morphology results was consistent with the electrical conductivity results. From the DSC results, the crystallization temperature (Tc) of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites increased due to the co-addition of CF and CNTs acting as a nucleating agent. Flexural modulus of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT were sharply enhanced due to increasing the interaction between PET and CF.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.235-242
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• 2022

The percolation threshold of the CNT-reinforced cement paste is closely related to the optimal CNT amount to maximize the sensing ability of self-sensing concrete. However, the percolation threshold has various values depending on the cement, CNT, and water-to-cement ratio used. In this study, a percolation simulation model was proposed to predict the percolation threshold of the CNT-reinforced cement paste. The proposed model can simulate the percolation according to the amount of CNT using only the properties of CNT and cement, and for this, the concept of the number of aggregated CNT particles was used. The percolation simulation consists of forming a pre-hydrated cement paste model, random dispersion of CNTs, and percolation investigation. The simulation used CNT-reinforced cement paste with a water-cement ratio of 0.4 to 0.6, and the simulated percolation threshold point showed high accuracy with a simulation residual ratio of up to 7.5 % compared to the literature results.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.107-110
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• 2007

Bi/CNT composite and resin/CNT were chosen to improve the mechanical properties of $YBa_2Cu_3O_7$(YBCO) superconductor. In order to elucidate the effects of Bi/CNT composite and resin/CNT in YBCO superconductors, melt texture superconductor were impregnated by mixed compound of Bi and CNT into the artificial holes parallel to the c-axis, which were drilled on the YBCO superconductor. Various amount of Bi/CNT and resin/CNT were impregnated to YBCO superconductor with different holes diameters. Typical artificial holes diameters were 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 mm respectively. Result of three-point bending test measurement, the bending strength with resin/CNT impregnation was improved up to 59.64 MPa as compared with 50.79 MPa of resin/CNT free bulk. Resin/CNT impregnation has been found to be one of the effective ways in improving the mechanical properties of bulk superconductor.

• Composites Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2011

Transparent and conductive carbon nanotube on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were prepared by dip-coating method for self-sensing multi-functional nanocomposites. The changes in the electrical and optical properties of CNT coating mainly depended on the number of dip-coating, concentration of CNT solution. Consequently, the surface resistance and transmittance of CNT coating were sensitively controlled by the processing parameters. Surface resistance of CNT coating was measured using four-point method, and surface resistance of coated CNT could be better calculated by using the dual configuration method. Optical transmittance of PET film with CNT coating was evaluated using UV spectrum. Surface properties of coated CNT investigated by wettability test via static and dynamic contact angle measurement were consistent with each other. As dip-coating number increased, surface resistance of coated CNT decreased seriously, whereas the transmittance exhibited little lower due to the thicker CNT networks layer. Interfacial microfailure properties were investigated for CNT and indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings on PET substrates by electrical resistance measurement under cyclic loading fatigue test. CNT with high aspect ratio exhibited no change in surface resistance up to 2000 cyclic loading, whereas ITO with brittle nature showed a linear increase of surface resistance up to 1000 cyclic loading and then exhibited the level-off due to reduced electrical contact points based on occurrence of many micro-cracks.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.315-319
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• 2020

In various fields, several studies based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been conducted. The results of previous studies, wherein CNT coatings have been incorporated as solid lubricants, demonstrate that the friction and wear characteristics of CNT coatings can be improved through the absorption/dispersion of the contact pressure by controlling the stiffness of the nanomesh structure comprising CNT strands. In this study, the friction and wear characteristics of the following are compared: CNT coating formed by spin coating of CNT solution, compressed CNT coating, and compressed/heated CNT coating (wherein CNT strands are squeezed through compression and/or heating). It is observed that the friction coefficient of the CNT coating having the largest number of voids between the CNT strands is significantly lower than those of the compressed CNT coating and the compressed/heated CNT coating. The wear tracks of the compressed CNT coating and the compressed/heated CNT coating indicate that some parts become torn or adhere into a lump. However, in the case of the CNT coating, a smooth wear surface is formed by rubbing. Furthermore, as the void space between the squeezed and adhered CNT strands decreases, the resistance to structural deformation increases, thereby resulting in an increased frictional force and a wear pattern that becomes torn or forms a lump. Hence, the results obtained from this study corroborate that the friction and wear characteristics of CNT coatings can be enhanced through the absorption/dispersion of the contact pressure by controlling the stiffness of the nanomesh structure of CNT coatings.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.348-348
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• 2011

Carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect transistors and sensors use CNT as a current channel, of which the resistance varies with the gate voltage or upon molecule adsorption. Since the performance of CNT devices depends very much on the CNT/metal contact resistance, the CNT/electrode contact must be stable and the contact resistance must be small. Depending on the geometry of CNT/electrode contact, it can be categorized into the end-contact, embedded-contact (top-contact), and side-contact (bottom-contact). Because of difficulties in the sample preparation, the end-contact CNT device is seldom practiced. The embedded-contact in which CNT is embedded inside the electrode is desirable due to its rigidness and the low contact resistance. Fabrication of this structure is complicated, however, because each CNT has to be located under a high-resolution microscope and then the electrode is patterned by electron beam lithography. The side-contact is done by depositing CNT electrophoretically or by precipitating on the patterned electrode. Although this contact is fragile and the contact resistance is relatively high, the side-contact by far has been widely practiced because of its simple fabrication process. Here we introduce a simple method to embed CNT inside the electrode while taking advantage of the bottom-contact process. The idea is to utilize a eutectic material as an electrode, which melts at low temperature so that CNT is not damaged while annealing to melt the electrode to embed CNT. The lowering of CNT/Au contact resistance upon annealing at mild temperature has been reported, but the electrode in these studies did not melt and CNT laid on the surface of electrode even after annealing. In our experiment, we used a eutectic Au/Al film that melts at 250$^{\circ}C$. After depositing CNT on the electrode made of an Au/Al thin film, we annealed the sample at 250$^{\circ}C$ in air to induce eutectic melting. As a result, Au-Al alloy grains formed, under which the CNT was embedded to produce a rigid and low resistance contact. The embedded CNT contact was as strong as to tolerate the ultrasonic agitation for 90 s and the current-voltage measurement indicated that the contact resistance was lowered by a factor of 4. By performing standard fabrication process on this CNT-deposited substrate to add another pair of electrodes bridged by CNT in perpendicular direction, we could fabricate a CNT cross junction. Finally, we could conclude that the eutectic alloy electrode is valid for CNT sensors by examine the detection of Au ion which is spontaneously reduced to CNT surface. The device sustatined strong washing process and maintained its detection ability.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2016

In this study, preparation of positively and negatively charged carbon nanotube (CNT)-collagen (CG) hydrogels with pH sensitive characteristic was reported. The positive and negative characteristics of the prepared hydrogels were created by introduction of positively functionalized CNT-NH₂ and negatively functionalized CNT-COOH, respectively, into the collagen hydrogel. The surface charge of CNTs (CNT-NH₂ and CNT-COOH), CG and CNTs/CG hydrogels was measured by Zetasizer. The swelling ratios of CNT-NH₂/CG and CNT-COOH/CG hydrogels in aqueous solution were checked by measuring of weight changes of the hydrogels in the range of pH 2~10. In detail, the positively charged CNT-NH₂/CG hydrogel swelled up to 5% at pH 4 in comparison to the weight at pH 7, while the negatively charged CNT-COOH/CG hydrogel swelled up to 10% at pH 10. The prepared CNT-NH₂/CG and CNT-COOH/CG hydrogels will be very useful as pH sensitive oral drug-delivering systems for gastrointestine (pH ~2) and small intestine (pH ~9), respectively.