Dissertation
SHEAR-ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBE MATS
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2018
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/111443
Abstract
Due to their outstanding properties, carbon nanotubes have been the topic of an immense amount of research in recent years. They are especially promising as a filler material in polymer composites, providing a way to increase mechanical performance and possibly add additional functionality through their conductive properties. However, processing difficulties arise when carbon nanotubes are added to polymer matrices. To overcome this challenge, mats of carbon nanotubes can be created, followed by resin infiltration to create composites. This method is able to produce composite materials with a much higher amount of carbon nanotubes, providing improved properties. In structural reinforcement applications, it is often desirable to create composites that are stronger in certain directions. This mechanical anisotropy can be achieved through the creation of aligned carbon nanotube mats. However, achieving alignment of carbon nanotubes is difficult due to their small size. Several carbon nanotube alignment methods have been developed, but have yet to see wide scale use.
In this work, we investigate and utilize the shear alignment method to create aligned carbon nanotube mats. A detailed rheological analysis of carbon nanotubes suspended in a worm-like micelle suspension is performed, which indicates they are well described by rigid rod rotation models. This work also details the development of an apparatus to simultaneously shear and filter these suspensions to create shear-aligned carbon nanotube mats. Finally, the properties of the shear-aligned mats are tested, and indicate slight anisotropic properties. Micrographs indicate areas with a high degree of local alignment, but a majority of the sample shows only a small indication of alignment. Based on these results, we determine that further work on the deposition process is needed to ensure the shear-aligned nanotubes in the suspension remain well-aligned when deposited on the substrate.
Metrics
23 File views/ downloads
14 Record Views
Details
- Title
- SHEAR-ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBE MATS
- Creators
- Darman Mitchell Rock
- Contributors
- Michael Kessler (Advisor)Soumik Banerjee (Advisor)Weihong Zhong (Committee Member)Arda Gozen (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Materials Science and Engineering Program
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 137
- Identifiers
- 99900581713501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation