Metal oxide nanoparticle reinforced

Figure 17.6 The formation of microcracks and crack pinning in metal oxide nanoparticle reinforced...

The study of coating carbon nanotubes with metal/oxides nanoparticles is now becoming a promising and challenging area of research. It is necessary to attach different functional groups or other nanostructures to their surface to optimize the use of carbon nanotubes in various applications. The combination of these distinctive properties of carbon nanotubes and metal/oxides may be applied in field emission displays, nanoelectronic devices, novel catalysts, and polymer or ceramic reinforcement. 

As a general feature, those resins with improved processability have the ability to maintain their newly acquired properties even when used as matrices in composite formulations, no matter whether the reinforcement is glass flbers/fabrics, carbon fibers, or nanoparticles (silica, clays, metals and metallic oxides, etc.). 

Various approaches exist to increase the electrical conductivity of plastic materials with nanoparticles [70,71]. The precipitation of nanometal particles to the reinforcing fibres is a very effective approach to achieve a good electrical conductivity at low concentrations. Pt was used as a model metal particle to avoid oxidation on processing by extmsion and injection moulding. Stable suspensions of Pt (supplied by Tsutomu Sakai, KRI Inc., Japan) [72] were applied in two concentrations suspension 1 150 mg Pt/L, suspension 2 1500 mg Pt/L, both containing particles of the size between 2 and 5 nm (Figure 5.17). The fibres were immersed... 

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