Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Kadambala, Ravi Shankar
Author's Email Address	ravi22k@yahoo.com
URN	etd-11182003-054829
Title	Preparation and Characterization of Magnetically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Buckypaper and Composite
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Ben Wang Committee Member Chuck Zhang Committee Member Zhiyong Liang Committee Member
Keywords	Carbon Nanotubes SWNT Alignment Composite Polymer Anisotropy Resistivity Nanocomposite
Date of Defense	2003-11-10
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Carbon nanotubes are theoretically one of the strongest and stiffest materials with a calculated tensile strength of ~200 giga Pascal and modulus of more than 1-4 tera Pascal for a single walled nanotube (SWNT). If the mechanical properties of SWNT could be effectively incorporated into a polymer matrix, composites with lightweight, exceptional strength and stiffness can be achieved. The effective utilization of nanotubes in composites for applications depends on the ability to disperse the nanotubes uniformly throughout the matrix. Carbon nanotubes are anisotropic in nature. Therefore to take advantage of the nanotubes in the axial direction, controlled tube orientation or degree of alignment of nanotubes in the polymer matrix is very important to realize their high mechanical and functional properties. The nanocomposites produced by current conventional methods using direct mixing, melt blending or solution casting have failed to yield significant improvements in composite modulus. Although tremendous progress has been made towards understanding the properties of individual carbon nanotubes, but attaining the true potential of the bulk polymeric nanocomposites have been hindered by the lack of uniform SWNT dispersion, poor interfacial bonding, inadequate tube loading and uncontrollable tube orientation or degree of alignment. This thesis work developed an innovative approach for producing nanocomposites that has uniform SWNT dispersion, high tube loading and most importantly controlled tube orientation. In this research, these properties in composites were achieved by using magnetically aligned buckypapers and resin infusion system. The aligned nanotube buckypaper and composite were characterized using AFM and SEM. The mechanical properties of these materials were experimentally determined using DMA and were theoretically verified. The electrical properties of these materials were also experimentally determined using 4-probe resistivity measurements. Significant tube alignment has been achieved in the resultant buckypaper and nanocomposites. It is shown that the developed method is an effective way for producing nanocomposites with uniform SWNT dispersion desired tube alignment and high tube loading. Keywords: composite, SWNT, carbon, nanotubes, polymer, nanocomposite, resistivity, anisotropy
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