Investigation of ozone treatment on mechanical behavior of oriented carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposites

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1649243 (Table of Contents)

With the discovery of spectacular mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CNTs became one of the most important reinforcement materials for composite materials. Many polymer-CNT combinations have been studied for various applications. Although, composition of an epoxy as matrix material and vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) as reinforcement is the best candidate for structural components. In this study, VA-CNTs for nanocomposite applications have been synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) technique, and parameters such as catalyst structure and process recipe have been optimized to improve quality of VA-CNTs for further steps. To determine the quality of VA-CNTs, graphitization level, oxidation temperature, purity and morphology of CNTs have been measured. For purity and oxidation temperature tests, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA); for graphitization level measurements, RAMAN spectroscopy; for morphological analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been employed. After synthesis and characterization steps, VA-CNTs have been treated with ozone to increase interaction between epoxy and CNTs. This interaction has been measured with contact angle measurements. Then, epoxy/CNT nanocomposites have been produced and mechanical performances have been tested to compare direct effect of ozone treatment on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. For mechanical tests, tension mode of dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) has been used.