Carbon Nanotube-Filled Nanocomposites

Zhang RH, Yang YK, Xie XL et al (2010) Dispersion and crystallization studies of hyperbranched poly(urea-urethane)s-grafted carbon nanotubes filled polyamide-6 nanocomposites. Compos A Appl Sci Manuf 41 670-677... 

Prashantha, K Soulestin, J. Lacrampe, M. Krawczak, P. Dupin, G. Claes, M. (2009) Masterbatch-Based Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Filled Polypropylene Nanocomposites Assessment of Rheological and Mechanical Properties. Compos. Sci Technol. Vol.69, No.11-12, p>p.l756-1763... 

Koerner, H., Price, G., Pearce, N.A., Alexander, M., Vaia, R.A. (2004) Remotely actuated polymer nanocomposites - stress-recovery of carbon-nanotube-filled thermoplastic elastomers. Nature Materials, 3, 115-120. 

Prashantha, K., Soulestin, J., Lacrampe, M. R, Claes, M., Dupin, G., and Krawczak, P. 2008. Multi-walled carbon nanotube filled polypropylene nanocomposites based on masterbatch route Improvement of dispersion and mechanical properties through PP-g-MA addition. Express Polymer Letters 2 735-745. 

Schadler LS (2(K)3) Polymer-based and polymer-filled nanocomposites. Wiley, London Dalmas F, Dendievel R, Chazeau L, Cavaille J-Y, Gauthier C (2006) Carbon nanotube-filled polymer composites. Numerical simulation of electrical conductivity in three-dimensional entangled fibrous networks. Acta Mater 54 2923... 

Koemer H, Price G, Pearce NA, Alexander M, Vaia RA (2004) Remotely acmated polymer nanocomposites—stress-recovery of carbon-nanotube-filled thermoplastic elastomers. Nat Mater 3 115... 

There is currently considerable interest in processing polymeric composite materials filled with nanosized rigid particles. This class of material called "nanocomposites" describes two-phase materials where one of the phases has at least one dimension lower than 100 nm [13]. Because the building blocks of nanocomposites are of nanoscale, they have an enormous interface area. Due to this there are a lot of interfaces between two intermixed phases compared to usual microcomposites. In addition to this, the mean distance between the particles is also smaller due to their small size which favors filler-filler interactions [14]. Nanomaterials not only include metallic, bimetallic and metal oxide but also polymeric nanoparticles as well as advanced materials like carbon nanotubes and dendrimers. However considering environmetal hazards, research has been focused on various means which form the basis of green nanotechnology. 

Nanoparticles or nanofillers are collective terms for modified layered silicates (organoclay), graphite nanoflakes, carbon nanotubes, and a number of materials dispersed in the polymer matrix, when the particles size is in order of nanometers (one thousands of micron), or tens of nanometers. A plastic filled with nanoparticles, typically in the range of 2-10% (w/w) is called a nanocomposite. 

The pol5mier nanocomposite field has been studied heavily in the past decade. However, polymier nanocomposite technology has been around for quite some time in the form of latex paints, carbon-black filled tires, and other pol5mier systems filled with nanoscale particles. However, the nanoscale interface nature of these materials was not truly understood and elucidated until recently [2 7]. Today, there are excellent works that cover the entire field of polymer nanocomposite research, including applications, with a wide range of nanofillers such as layered silicates (clays), carbon nanotubes/nanofibers, colloidal oxides, double-layered hydroxides, quantum dots, nanocrystalline metals, and so on. The majority of the research conducted to date has been with organically treated, layered silicates or organoclays. 

Keywords Solar cells, organic photovoltaics (OPVs), quantum confinement effect (QCE), conjugated polymers, nanocomposites, blends, quantum dots (QDs), nanocrystals, nanorods, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, nanoparticles, alternating copolymers, block copolymers, exdton diffusion length, short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, fill factor, photoconversion efficiency, in-situ polymerization... 

L. Liu, Z. Fang, A. Gu, and Z. Guo, Improving tribological properties of bis-maleimide nanocomposite filled with carbon nanotubes treated by atmospheric pressure filamentary dielectric barrier discharge. Composites Part B Engineering, 42 (8), 2117-2122, 2011. 

Lee JH, Kim SK, Kim NH (2006) Effects of the addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the positive temperature coefficient characteristics of carbon-black-filled high-density polyethylene nanocomposites. Scripta Mater 55 1119-1122... 

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