Nanofillers nanotube

Nanofillers have superb thermal and electrical properties. All nanotubes are expected to be very good thermal conductors along the tube axis, exhibiting a property known as ballistic conduction, but good insulators laterally to the tube axis. It has been reported that single-wall carbon nanotubes exhibit thermal conductivity (TC) values as high as 2000-6000 W mK [4] under ideal circumstances. The temperature stability of carbon nanotubes is estimated to be up to 2800 °C in a vacuum, and about 750 °C in air. By comparison, metals have TC values of several hundred W mK , and water and oil have TC values of only 0.6 W mK and 0.2 W mK respectively. Table 19.1 lists the thermal conductivities of various materials, including nanofillers (nanotubes), metals, and oils. 

Figure 19.9 shows the thermal conductivity vs. nanofiller (nanotube) weight concentration in the polymeric oil (polyalphaolefin oil). It is clearly seen that thermal conductivity increases with increasing nanotube concentration. The curve tends to saturate at high concentrations (>10 wt%). 

Figure 19.19 Pictures of five nanofiller (nanotube) solutions with different functional groups and chemical structures. (Reproduced with kind permission from NLGI. Copyright (2010) NLGI)...

Rheological research has shown that the nanocomposites (nanogreases) exhibit pseudoplastic behavior, which has a typical power law response and a definable yield stress. It provides convincing evidence that a metastable network structure is formed inside the nanocomposite with high nanofiller (nanotube) concentrations. 

The carbon-based nanofillers are mainly layered graphite, nanotube, and nanofibers. Graphite is an allotrope of carbon, the stmcture of which consists of graphene layers stacked along the c-axis in a staggered array [1], Figure 4.1 shows the layered structure of graphite flakes. 

Highly promising nanofillers, nanoclays and carbon nanotubes are also developing well. Depending on the reinforcement, the main difficulties are ... 

George and Bhowmick [147] have also studied the influence of the polarity of EVA (40, 50, 60, and 70% vinyl acetate content) and the nature of the nanofiller [expanded graphite (EG), multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and CNFs] on the mechanical properties of EVA/carbon nanofiller nanocomposites. They pointed out that the enhancement in mechanical properties with the addition of various... 

CIL is unavoidable when nanodispersion of any other nanofiller, such as clay or carbon nanotube (CNT) is considered [17,18], Various types of cationic surfactants in the case of montmorillonite (MMT) and reactive interface modifications in the case of CNT have been introduced to ensure... 

As was detailed in this section, TEM can bring numerous pieces of information regarding the polymer/nanotube composite microstructure. However, it has to be recalled that nanofillers such as nanotubes easily agglomerates and their dispersion state has to be characterised from the micron to the nanometre scale. This is one reason, among others, why Scanning Electron Microscopy is another widely used to characterise polymer/nanotube composites. 

The gap between the predictions and experimental results arises from imperfect dispersion of carbon nanotubes and poor load transfer from the matrix to the nanotubes. Even modest nanotube agglomeration impacts the diameter and length distributions of the nanofillers and overall is likely to decrease the aspect ratio. In addition, nanotube agglomeration reduces the modulus of the nanofillers relative to that of isolated nanotubes because there are only weak dispersive forces between the nanotubes. Schadler et al. (71) and Ajayan et al. (72) concluded from Raman spectra that slippage occurs between the shells of MWNTs and within SWNT ropes and may limit stress transfer in nanotube/polymer composites. Thus, good dispersion of CNTs and strong interfacial interactions between CNTs and PU chains contribute to the dramatic improvement of the mechanical properties of the... 

The recognition of the unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has stimulated a huge interest in their use as advanced filler in composite materials. In particular, their superior mechanical, thermal and electrical properties are expected to provide much higher property improvement than other nanofillers (18-22). For example, as conductive inclusions in polymeric matrices, CNTs shift the percolation threshold to much lower loading values than traditional carbon black particles. 

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. 

Studies from the composite deformation mechanism and interfacial bonding between nanofillers and the polymer matrix have been performed [46-48]. In these reports, the authors performed straining studies to determine the load transfer between carbon nanotubes and the polymer and observed the phenomena of crack propagation and polymer debonding. In some cases, the mechanical deformation processes were followed over the electrospun composite fibers. Microscopic images revealed information on the dispersion and orientation of nanotubes within the fiber and their impact in the mechanical performance regarding strain at break and stress concentration at the pores of the nanotubes. 

Graphene-polymer nanocomposites share with other nanocomposites the characteristic of remarkable improvements in properties and percolation thresholds at very low filler contents. Although the majority of research has focused on polymer nanocomposites based on layered materials of natural origin, such as an MMT type of layered silicate compounds or synthetic clay (layered double hydroxide), the electrical and thermal conductivity of clay minerals are quite poor [177]. To overcome these shortcomings, carbon-based nanofillers, such as CB, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, and graphite have been introduced to the preparation of polymer nanocomposites. Among these, carbon nanotubes have proven to be very effective as conductive fillers. An important drawback of them as nanofillers is their high production costs, which... 

Other nanofillers have been tested, snch as carbon nanotubes, but in a less concerted maimer. 

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. 

Of particular interest to adhesives formulators are nanofillers such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), silica, alumina, magnesium oxide, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide (Zn02), silver, copper, and nickel). Of these, carbon nanotubes are the most widely studied for electrically conductive adhesives to attach microdevices, to interconnect microcircuits and to increase I/O densities at the device level. ... 

---