Two-nozzle electrospinning of (MWNT/PU)/PU nanofibrous composite mat with improved mechanical and thermal properties

Composite nanofibrous mat composed of neat polyurethane (PU) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polyurethane (MWNT/PU) nanofibers have been fabricated by one-step angled two-nozzle electrospinning. The morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of the electrospun nanofibers were evaluated. The diameters of electrospun neat PU and composite nanofibers ranged from 239 to 1058 nm. The two-nozzle electrospun (MWNT/PU)/PU composite nanofibers showed curly, and randomly-oriented fibers with interfiber bonding, and were generally bigger in size than single-nozzle electrospun nanofibers. The tensile strength of the neat PU composite nanofiber mat obtained from two-nozzle electrospinning was 25% higher than that obtained from neat PU single-nozzle electrospinning. The incorporation of MWNTs in the composite nanofiber increased the tensile strength by as much as 64% without reducing elongation, made the composite nanofiber more thermally stable, and improved the melting zone. The present results showed that side-by-side angled two-nozzle electrospinning can improve the quality of the electrospun nanofibers that could have potential application in different fields such as filtration, protective clothing and tissue engineering.     

Manufacture and Characterization of Poly (butylene terephthalate) Nanofibers by Electrospinning

Poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT) nanofiber mats were prepared by electrospinning, being directly deposited in the form of a random fibers web. The effect of changing processing parameters such as solution concentration and electrospinning voltage on the morphology of the electrospun PBT nanofibers was investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrospun fibers diameter increased with rising concentration and decreased by increasing the electrospinning voltage, thermal and mechanical properties of electrospun fibers were characterized by DSC and tensile testing, respectively.     

Wettability Improvement of Poly (Butylene Terephthalate) Nanofibrous Mats Prepared via Electrospinning by Blending With Regenerated Silk Fibroin

Poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) blend electrospun nanofibrous mats were manufactured to combine the excellent mechanical behavior of PBT with the extraordinary hydrophilic property of RSF. A 1:1 mixture of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and dichloromethane (DCM) was adopted as the solvents for PBT and RSF with 20% (w/v) PBT and 16 wt% RSF solutions being mixed in various proportions for electrospinning. The morphology, crystallization, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, surface roughness, contact angle, and wetting time of the electrospun blended materials were studied. When the weight ratio of RSF was larger than 50%, a water drop on the surface of the electrospun mat was completely permeated within 300 s or less. Besides the chemical influence of the amino and carboxy groups in RSF, the physical characteristics of the RSF in the blend electrospun mats, such as random coil structure, lower crystallinity, rougher surface than PBT, etc., were a partial reason for the improvement of wettability. The blend nanofibrous mats may be especially applicable in biomedical fields.     

Enhanced mechanical properties and morphological characterizations of poly(vinyl alcohol)-carbon nanotube composite films

Tensile tests were carried out on free-standing composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) for different loading levels. Results show that overall mechanical properties of the composite were greatly improved as compared to the neat PVA film. For PVA-based materials at significant high loading level such as 9.1 wt.% MWNTs, considerable increases in Young's modulus, tensile strength and toughness by factors of 4.5, 2.7 and 4.1, respectively, were achieved. Raman, SEM, TEM, and DSC techniques were used to evaluate the PVA/MWNTs composite system. Strong acid-modification of the pristine MWNTs and the subsequent ultrasonication processing allowed good distribution of the nanotubes in the matrix. SEM together with DSC result shows apparent good wetting of the nanotubes by the PVA matrix, which are supportive of good interfacial bonding between the modified carbon nanotubes and the hosting polymer matrix.     

Mechanical properties of nickel-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes and their embedded gold matrix composites

The effects of nickel coating on the mechanical behaviors of armchair single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and their embedded gold matrix composites under axial tension are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. The results show that the Young's moduli and tensile strength of SWCNTs obviously decrease after nickel coating. For armchair SWCNTs, the decreased ratio of the Young's moduli of SWCNTs with smaller radius is larger than that of SWCNTs with larger radius. A comparison is made between the response to Young's modulus of a composite with parallel embedded nanotube and the response of a composite with vertically embedded nanotube. The results show that the uncoated SWCNT can enhance the Young's modulus of composite under the condition of parallel embedment, but such improvement disappears under the condition of vertical embedment because the interaction between SWCNT and gold matrix is too weak for effective load transfer. However, the nickel-coated SWCNT can indeed significantly improve the composite behavior.     

Consideration of mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes under various loading conditions

In this article, mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with various radiuses under tensile, compressive and lateral loads are considered. Stress–strain curve, elastic modulus, tensile, compressive and rotational stiffness, buckling behaviour, and critical axial compressive load and pressure of eight different zigzag and armchair SWCNTs are investigated to figure out the effect of radius and chirality on mechanical properties of nanotubes. Using molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) method, it can be explained that SWCNTs have higher Young’s modulus and tensile stiffness than compressive elastic modulus and compressive stiffness. Critical axial force of zigzag SWCNT is independent from the radius, but that of armchair type rises by increasing of radius, also these two types show different buckling modes.     

结构和变形对单壁碳纳米管力学性能的影响

使用分子动力学方法模拟了单壁碳纳米管的拉伸变形行为和泊松比,并从单壁碳纳米管晶胞单元的结构特征角度,系统分析了管径、螺旋性和应变对力学性能的影响．模拟结果显示,单臂性碳纳米管(8,8)-(22,22)和锯齿性碳纳米管(9,0)-(29,0)的拉伸弹性变形可以分别达到35％-38％和20％-27％,拉伸条件下这些碳纳米管的弹性模量随管径的增大从960 GPa下降到750 GPa,并且锯齿性碳纳米管的弹性模量比单臂性碳纳米管的弹性模量要高．通过对三根具有相同直径和不同螺旋性的碳纳米管(9,9),(12,6)和(16,0)分别在拉伸和压缩条件下的模拟发现,随着变形的增大,碳纳米管的泊松比将减小;在相同的拉伸应变下,碳纳米管的泊松比随其螺旋角的减小而减小,而在相同的压缩应变下,碳纳米管的泊松比随其螺旋角的减小而增大．     

The Nucleation Effect of Grafted Carbon Black on Crystallization of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)/Grafted Carbon Black Composite

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/grafted carbon black (PET/GCB) and poly(ethylene terephthalate)/carbon black (PET/CB) composites were prepared by melt blending. The nucleating effect of CB and GCB were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The morphologies of the spherulites in PET, PET/CB and PET/GCB composites were observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All results showed that GCB had higher nucleating activity than CB in PET and PET/GCB composite had higher rate of nucleation and crystallization. The melting behaviors of neat PET, PET/CB and PET/GCB composites after non‐isothermal crystallization were investigated as well. It was evident that the melting behavior of PET is greatly influenced by addition of CB and GCB.     

Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy/Carbon Fiber Composites Reinforced with Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes

Multi-scale hybrid composite laminates of epoxy/carbon fiber (CF) reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were fabricated in an autoclave. For laminate fabrication, 0.5 wt% of pristine MWCNTs or silane-functionalized MWNCTs (f-MWCNTs) were dispersed into a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A epoxy system and applied on the woven carbon fabric. The neat epoxy/CF composite and the MWCNTs-reinforced epoxy/CF hybrid composites were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), tensile testing, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). A significant improvement in initial decomposition temperature and glass transition temperature of epoxy/CF composite was observed when reinforced with 0.5 wt% of f-MWCNTs. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), measured by TMA, diminished by 22% compared to the epoxy/CF composite, indicating an improvement in dimensional stability of the hybrid composite. No significant improvement in tensile properties of either MWCNTs/epoxy/CF composites was observed compared to those of the neat epoxy/CF composite.     

Preparation of poly(?-caprolactone)-based polyurethane nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles

In this study, poly(?-caprolactone)-based polyurethane (PCL-PU) nanofibers containing Ag nanoparticles for use in antimicrobial nanofilter applications were prepared by electrospinning 8 wt% PCL-PU solutions containing different amounts of AgNO₃ in a mixed solvent consisting of DMF/THF (7/3 w/w). The average diameter of the pure PCL-PU nanofibers was 560 nm and decreased with increasing concentration of AgNO₃. The PCL-PU nanofiber mats electrospun with AgNO₃ exhibited higher tensile strength, tensile modulus, and lower elongation than the pure PCL-PU nanofiber mats. Small Ag nanoparticles were produced by the reduction of Ag⁺ ions in the PCL-PU solutions. The average size and number of the Ag nanoparticles in the PCL-PU nanofibers were considerably increased after being annealed at 100 °C for 24 h. They were all sphere-shaped and evenly distributed in the PCL-PU nanofibers, indicating that the PCL-PU chains stabilized the Ag nanoparticles well.     

Crystallization of Carbon Nanotube and Nanofiber Polypropylene Composites

A variety of semicrystalline isotactic polypropylene composites containing carbon nanotubes and nanofibers were produced by melt and solution techniques. The effect of the nanofillers on the crystallization process was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Under the processing conditions applied in this study, the surfaces of the carbon nanomaterials act as nucleation sites in bulk samples and highly oriented composite films. This conclusion is confirmed by the calculation of Avrami exponents and, in particular, by direct microscopy evidence.     

Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(lactic acid)/Modified Carbon Black Composite

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was added as a plasticizer to the composite of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and a modified carbon black (MCB). Among the three different molecular weight (M_n = 1000, 2000, 6000) PEGs used, PEG2000 promoted crystallization of PLA and enhanced the nucleation activity of MCB more efficiently than the other two. The crystallization rate of PLA/PEG2000/3 wt% MCB composite was three times that of PLA. Although a small decrease in tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of the composite was found as the PEG content increased, the elongation at break of the PLA/PEG/MCB composites significantly improved. When the PEG2000 content was 15 wt%, the elongation at break of the blend was 90%, 4.5 times that of the neat PLA.     

Comparison of different types of polypyrimidine/CNTs/Pt hybrids in fuel cell catalysis

In this paper, we mainly studied the preparation of platinum-containing composite materials with carbon nanotubes wrapped by polypyrimidine-conjugated polymers and the performance of the composites. The polymer-based carbon nanotubes/Pt catalysts were prepared successfully and confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, XPS, XRD, and TEM images. The performance of polypyrimidine/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/Pt and polypyrimidine/double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs)/Pt was compared with the polypyrimidine/single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/Pt. The amount of the loaded Pt on the polypyrimidine/MWCNTs and polypyrimidine/DWCNTs was calculated to be 50.5 wt% and 52.7 wt% respectively. The effective specific surface area of the polypyrimidine/MWCNTs/Pt (45.7 m²/g) and polypyrimidine/DWCNTs/Pt (42.47 m²/g) was observed by electrochemical cyclic voltammetry. These studies strongly imply that the MWCNTs were better candidates than DWCNTs and SWCNTs in the application of polypyrimidine/CNT materials as catalyst for fuel cells.     

Carbon nanotube mats and fibers with irradiation-improved mechanical characteristics: a theoretical model

We employ a theoretical model to calculate mechanical characteristics of macroscopic mats and fibers of single-walled carbon nanotubes. We further investigate irradiation-induced covalent bonds between nanotubes and their effects on the tensile strength of nanotube mats and fibers. We show that the stiffness and strength of the mats can be increased at least by an order of magnitude, and thus small-dose irradiation with energetic particles is a promising tool for making macroscopic nanotube materials with excellent mechanical characteristics.     

Effects of Radius and Orientation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Their Nonlinear Tensile Deformation Behaviour

By capturing the atomic information and reflecting the behaviour governed by a nonlinear potential function, an analytical molecular mechanics approach is applied to establish the constitutive relation for single-walled carbon nanotubes （SWCNTs）. The nonlinear tensile deformation curves of zigzag and armchair nanotubes with different radii are predicted, and the elastic properties of these SWCNTs are obtained. A conclusion is made that the nanotube radius has little effect on the mechanical behaviour of SWCNTs subject to simple tension, while the nanotube orientation has larger influence.     

A computational prediction of total carbo-merization on single-walled carbon nanotubes

The total carbo-mer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (C-SWCNTs) are constructed by inserting two sp carbon atoms into each C-C bond in pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The geometric, mechanical and electronic properties for these novel structures are investigated by self-consistent-field crystal calculations. The calculated zigzag and chiral C-SWCNTs are all small gap semiconductors, whereas the metallic property is still kept in the armchair C-SWCNT. The calculated Young's moduli of C-SWCNTs are smaller than those of SWCNTs. Our calculations show that the zigzag C-SWCNTs have higher mobility than the corresponding SWCNTs. Moreover, the calculated mobility of the C-SWCNTs has a periodic change with the change of the tube diameters.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes dispersion on morphology, internal structure and thermal stability of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/carbon nanotubes nanofibers

The current work reports the effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes and single walled carbon nanotubes dispersion on morphological, structural and thermal degradation of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (PVA/CNTs–SDS) composites nanofibers. (PVA/CNTs–SDS) nanocomposites fibers were elaborated using the traditional electrospinning process to disperse and align CNTs into the fibers, especially for low CNTs loading fraction: 0.3 and 0.7 wt%. The morphology of the electrospun fibers was studied using the scanning electronic microscopy. The average diameter of the fibers changes significantly after the incorporation of the CNTs in the PVA. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy elucidated the effect of CNTs on the crystallization of the PVA which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal stability of the composite fibers depends on the loading fraction and on the type of carbon nanotubes.     

Strain-induced metal to semiconductor transition in ultra-small diameter single-wall carbon nanotubes

Under a large tensile strain near fracture limit, the band structures of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with diameter less than 0.5 nm begin a metal to semiconductor transition and these ultra-small SWCNTs can normally maintain their metallicities. The band gap behavior of these SWCNTs intrinsically originates from the long axial direct bond lengths and the severe curvature. The gap opening comes mainly from the transfer of pπ electrons. And the localized π and σ states can result in a lower electrical conductivity. This band gap behavior suggests that it has potential to find applications in nano-electromechanical system.     

镍-磷/纳米碳管化学复合镀层的研究

采用化学复合镀方法,在基体铜片上进行Ni-P／纳米碳管复合镀．用金相显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、X射线衍射仪和显微硬度计等实验手段研究复合镀层的组织、结构和性能．结果表明:随着镀液中纳米碳管含量的增加,复合镀层表面的颗粒变小且密度增加;复合镀层的硬度随纳米碳管含量的增加而提高;此外,纳米碳管的加入,使镀层由非晶变成了纳米晶,促进了复合镀层的晶化．     

Selective growth, characterization, and field emission performance of single-walled and few-walled carbon nanotubes by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and few-walled carbon nanotubes (FWCNTs) have been selectively synthesized by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at a relative low temperature (550 °C) by tuning the thickness of iron catalyst. The parametric study and the optimization of the nanotube growth were undertaken by varying inductive power, temperature, catalyst thickness, and plasma to substrate distance. When an iron film of 3-5 nm represented the catalyst thickness for growing FWCNT arrays, SWCNTs were synthesized by decreasing the catalyst thickness to 1 nm. The nanotubes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Electron field emission properties of the nanotubes indicate that the SWCNTs exhibit lower turn-on field compared to the FWCNTs, implying better field emission performance.