Magnetic alignment of SWCNTs decorated with Fe3O4 to enhance mechanical properties of SC-15 epoxy

作者：Malkina O^*; Mahfuz H; Sorge K; Rondinone A; Chen J; More K; Reeves S; Rangari V

来源：AIP Advances, 2013, 3(4): 042104.

DOI：10.1063/1.4800698

• carbon nanotubes
• curing
• filled polymers
• fracture toughness
• iron compounds
• magnetic anisotropy
• magnetic particles
• nanomagnetics
• nanoparticles
• oxidation
• polymer structure
• tensile strength
• tensile testing
• transmission electron microscopy
• X-ray diffraction

We report significant improvement in mechanical properties of SC-15 epoxy when reinforced with decorated nanotubes and cured in a modest magnetic field. The chemical synthesis and field curing process is a low cost and relatively easy technique to impose strong magnetic anisotropy into the system without the need of a superconducting magnet. SWCNT(COOH)s were decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles through a sonochemical oxidation process and then dispersed into SC-15 epoxy at 0.5 wt% loading. The admixture was cured for 6 hours in a magnetic field of 10 kOe followed by an additional 24 hours of post curing at room temperature. Control samples were prepared in a similar manner but without the application of the magnetic field. Mechanical tests performed on field-cured samples indicated that tensile strength and modulus increased by 62% and 40%. Most importantly, modulus of toughness, fracture strain, and modulus of resilience improved by 346%, 165%% and 170%, respectively. Such enhancement in mechanical properties was attributed to changes in polymer morphology, partial alignment of nanotubes in the field direction, and sliding at the polymer-nanotube interface. Detailed characterization of the system with XRD, TEM, DMA, and Magnetometry are described in the paper.

• 出版日期2013-4