• Composites Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.39-43
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• 2011

For the last twenty years, nanocomposites composed of polymer matrices reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been an active research area. Also, the polymeric nanocomposites reinforced with CNTs are being investigated to be used matrices of carbon fiber composites. Carbon tiber composites have achieved advanced properties in the direction of carbon fibers due to enhanced carbon fiber properties. However, the matrix dominated properties need to be improved further to fully utilize the advanced carbon fiber properties. In particular, delamination is a typical and critical reason for fracture of carbon fiber composites. Mode I fracture toughness test which is also often called double cantilever beam (DCB) test shows the resistance to delamination of carbon fiber composites and this test is performed on carbon fiber composite samples incorporated with carbon nanotubes functionalized with various functional groups. The specimens with mat-like CNT layers showed the increased fracture toughness by 10.6%.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.225-228
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• 2009

The processing and characterization of ceramic nanocomposites, which produce bulk nanostructures with attractive mechanical properties, have been emphasized and introduced at Prof. Mukherjee's Lab at UC Davis. The following subjects will be introduced in detail in Part II, III, and IV. In Part II, the paper will describe a three-phase alumina-based nanoceramic composite demonstrating superplasticity at a surprisingly lower temperature and higher strain rate. The next part will show that an alumina-carbon nanotube-niobium nanocomposite produced fracture toughness values that are three times higher than that of pure nanocrystalline alumina. It was possible to take advantage of both fiber-toughening and ductile-metal toughening in this investigation. In the fourth section, discussed will be a silicon-nitride/silicon-carbide nanocomposite, produced by pyrolysis of liquid polymer precursors, demonstrating one of the lowest creep rates reported so far in ceramics at the comparable temperature of $1400^{\circ}C$. This was first achieved by avoiding the oxynitride glass phase at the intergrain boundaries. One important factor in the processing of these nanocomposites was the use of the electrical field assisted sintering method. This allowed the sintering to be completed at significantly lower temperatures and during much shorter times. These improvements in mechanical properties will be discussed in the context of the results from the microstructural investigations.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.478-482
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• 2010

A series of molecular dynamic (MD), finite element (FE) and ab initio simulations are carried out to establish suitable modeling schemes for the continuum-based analysis of aluminum matrix nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). From a comparison of the MD with FE models and inferences based on bond structures and electron distributions, we propose that the effective thickness of a CNT wall for its continuum representation should be related to the graphitic inter-planar spacing of 3.4${\AA}$. We also show that shell element representation of a CNT structure in the FE models properly simulated the carbon-carbon covalent bonding and long-range interactions in terms of the load-displacement behaviors. Estimation of the effective interfacial elastic properties by ab initio simulations showed that the in-plane interfacial bond strength is negligibly weaker than the normal counterpart due to the nature of the weak secondary bonding at the CNT-Al interface. Therefore, we suggest that a third-phase solid element representation of the CNT-Al interface in nanocomposites is not physically meaningful and that spring or bar element representation of the weak interfacial bonding would be more appropriate as in the cases of polymer matrix counterparts. The possibility of treating the interface as a simply contacted phase boundary is also discussed.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2006

The dispersion of organoclay in ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) matrix was correlated with the rheological and swelling properties of nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis exhibited the disordered-intercalated structure of EPDM/organoclay nanocomposite. The extent of the disordered phase increased with increasing organoclay content up to a limiting value of 3 wt% after which equilibrium tended towards intercalation. The dispersion effect of organoclay in EPDM matrix was clarified by the physicochemical properties like rheological response and swelling thermodynamics in toluene. The increase in viscoelastic properties of EPDM nanocomposite with increasing organoclay content up to 3 wt%, followed by a subsequent decrease up to 4 wt%, was correlated in terms of the disordered and ordered states of the dispersed nano-clay sheets. Swelling measurements revealed that the change in entropy of the swelling increased with the increase in disorder level but decreased with the increase in intercalation level of organoclay in the disordered-intercalated nanocomposite. The increase in solvent uptake was comparable with the free volume in EPDM matrix upon inclusion of silicate particles, whereas the inhibition in solvent uptake for higher organoclay loading was described by bridging flocculation.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.187-193
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• 2006

Organoclay, was applied as a filler, in place of carbon black and silica, to a natural rubber (NR)/butadiene rubber (BR) blend. A compounding method was used to disperse and separate the layered silicates. The effect of a coupling agent on the vulcanizates was evaluated using both the silica and organoclay filled compounds. After the compounding processes were completed, the XRD diffraction peaks disappeared, but then reappeared after vulcanization. The scorch times for the organoclay-filled compounds were very short compared to those for carbon black and silica-filled compounds. The organoclay-filled compounds showed high values of tensile strength, modulus, tear energy, and elongation at the break. When ranked by viscosity, the compounds appeared in the following order: silica > silica (Si-69) > organoclay > organoclay (Si-69) > carbon black. Fractional hysteresis, tensile set, and wear rates were very consistent with the viscosity of the vulcanizates. The Si 69 coupling agent increased reversion resistance, the maximum torque values in the ODR, modulus, and wear resistance, but decreased elongation at the break, fractional hysteresis, and tension set of the vulcanizates.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2010

A new electric application method was developed to prepare epoxy/organoclay nanocomposite for the electrical insulation in the AC electric fields and it could be also used in the field of various viscous polymer/organoclay systems. The applied AC electric field condition was as follows; (1) inter-electrode distance: 40 mm, (2) application voltage: 3-11 kV, (3) frequency: 60~1,000 Hz, and (4) application time: 0~60 min. To characterize the epoxy/clay nanocomposite, WAXS and TEM analyses were confirmed. In order to explain how the organic modifier affects the exfoliation phenomena, a mechanism of the oscillating collision of the quaternary ammonium head was proposed and the effects of the AC voltage and frequency and the organoclay content were studied.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.615-619
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• 1999

Polyether-clay nanocomposite was not polymerized with stearyltrimethylammonium ion exchanged montmorillonite, but it was self-polymerizable when heated with both stearyltrimethylammpmoim and m-phenylenediammonium ions intercalated montmorillonite to form polyether-clay nanocomposites. Molcular disperion of montmorillonite within the crosslinked epoxy matrix verified using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy found that the final product contains a uniform dispersion of exfoliated $10{\AA}$ thin clay layers seperated by $250{\sim}500{\AA}$of polyether polymer, thus verifying the nanocomposite structure.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.4 s.299
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• pp.198-201
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• 2007

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (M-CNT)/Nafion nanocomposites were prepared by solution casting to elucidate the effect of M-CNT addition, from 0 to 7 wt%, on the viscoelastic behavior of the composites. The M-CNT bundles induced by the Nafion polymer were determined to be uniformly distributed for the 1 wt% M-CNT/Nafion nanocomposites. The 1 wt% M-CNT/Nafion composite exhibited the highest blocking stress of 2.3 kPa due to its high elastic modulus of 0.485 GPa. From a dynamic mechanical analysis, the 1 wt% M-CNT had the highest storage and loss moduli compared with the other samples in all frequency and temperature ranges. From the storage modulus data, the M-CNT loaded composites had similar $T_g$ values near $120^{\circ}C$. The glass transition temperatures of the M-CNT loaded composites were $120^{\circ}C$ (1 wt%), $117^{\circ}C$ (3 wt%), $117^{\circ}C$ (5 wt%), and $135^{\circ}C$ (7 wt%), suggesting that the effect of the M-CNTs on the Nafion film begins at 1 wt%. Thus, it has been concluded that the 1 wt% M-CNT disported composite is attractive for actuator applications.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.14-19
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• 2016

This study is about the effect of nitrogen gas pressures during manufacturing process on the mechanical properties of composite materials. $TiO_2$/epoxy resin nanocomposites and carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin(CFRP) composites were fabricated under various nitrogen gas pressures. Tensile strength test, vicker's hardness test and fracture surface observation were carried out to investigate the effect of nitrogen gas pressure. As a result, the tensile strength of nanocomposite and CFRP composites showed clearly increasing tendency by a change in the nitrogen gas pressure up to 3.0 atm and then the tensile strength decreased a little. However, the vicker's hardness of $TiO_2$/epoxy nanocomposites showed same hardness values regardless of the nitrogen gas pressures.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.308-313
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• 2008

A simple strategy was developed based on polyelectrolyte/silver nanocomposite to obtain humidity-sensitive membranes. The major component of a humid membrane is the polyTEAMPS/silver nanocomposite obtained by thermal heating the mixture of a polyelectrolyte and silver isopropylcarbamate complex. Humidity sensors prepared from polyTEAMPS/silver (w/w=100/0 and 100/6) nanocomposites had an average impedance of 292, 8.83 and $0.86\;k{\Omega}$, and 5,327, 140 and $0.93\;k{\Omega}$ at 30,60 and 95% relative humidity (RH), respectively. Hysteresis, temperature dependence and response time were also measured. Activation energies and complex impedance spectroscopy of the various components of the polyelectrolyte/silver nanocomposite films were examined for the humidity-sensing membrane.