Dispersion and Rheology of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Unsaturated Polyester Resin

Dispersions of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) in unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) were studied by rheology and optical microscopy. The experimentally determined percolation threshold of 0.097 vol % was very close to the theoretical value of 0.085 vol % expected for individually dispersed MWNT...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMacromolecules Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 1642 - 1650
Main Authors Ureña-Benavides, Esteban E, Kayatin, Matthew J, Davis, Virginia A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington, DC American Chemical Society 26.02.2013
Subjects
Applied sciences
Composites
Exact sciences and technology
Forms of application and semi-finished materials
Polymer industry, paints, wood
Technology of polymers
Viscoelasticity
Dispersion degree
Ester polymer
Temperature effect
Carbon nanotubes
Experimental study
Fractal dimension
Multiwalled nanotube
Concentration effect
Styrene polymer
Nanocomposite
Unsaturated polymer
Modified material
Graft polymers
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Summary:Dispersions of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) in unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) were studied by rheology and optical microscopy. The experimentally determined percolation threshold of 0.097 vol % was very close to the theoretical value of 0.085 vol % expected for individually dispersed MWNT with an average aspect ratio of 590. Rheological analysis showed that the dispersions formed an open network with a fractal dimension of 1.28. The results were compared with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and polystyrene (PS)-modified MWNT (MWNT-PS). The SWNT formed stronger networks than MWNT, but the MWNT-PS networks were weaker than unmodified MWNT.
ISSN:0024-9297
1520-5835
DOI:10.1021/ma3017844