Structure and properties of carbon nanotube-polymer fibers using melt spinning

Structure and properties of carbon nanotube-polymer fibers using melt spinning 

Although carbon nanotubes show exceptional properties on the nanoscale, the difficulty lies in creating a material that exhibits carbon nanotube properties on the macro-scale. Incorporating the nanotubes as filler into polymer matrices is the most common method currently explored. Similar to other composites made from chopped fiber in a polymer matrix, filler dispersion and orientation are essential to achieve optimal property improvements. Researchers have used many different techniques to attempt to disperse nanotubes in polymer matrices including solution chemistry to 

Furthermore, research has shown improved mechanical properties via nanotube orientation by melt drawing after melt compounding in a polyfmethyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix with low levels ( 1 wt%) of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs).  

Polypropylene (PP) has been a common matrix used for carbon nanotube composites. Both single walF and multiwall nanotubes have been used to study crystallization behavior in PP and polymer morphology as well as mechanical properties. Results have been mixed, especially for mechanical properties, where one study showed no significant improvement in mechanical properties, and others have shown moderate improvements in 

Exxon Mobil Type 3155 Polypropylene with a melt flow rate of 36g/10min, density of 0.9g/cm, and molecular weight distribution of 2.8, was utilized as the matrix. MWNTs were supplied by Nano-Lab (Newton, MA). These nanotubes (with purity 95%) were produced via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) using acetylene and ammonia with iron catalyst particles on a mesoporous silica substrate. The diameter is specified as 20-50 nm with lengths ranging between 5 and 20 pm. 

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