Creep deformation of poly(methyl methacrylate)-multiwalled carbon nanotube composites

• Published in: Journal of polymer research Vol. 27; no. 11
• Main Authors: Chang, Man-Fang, Yang, Fuqian, Lee, Sanboh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Creep strength; Deformation; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Linear functions; Molecular weight; Multi wall carbon nanotubes; Original Paper; Polymer matrix composites; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Polymethyl methacrylate; Structural stability; Tensile creep; Ultraviolet radiation; MWCNTs; PMMA; Composite; Creep; Activation energy
• ISSN: 1022-9760; 1572-8935
• DOI: 10.1007/s10965-019-1932-0

Considering the long-term structural stability of polymer-nanotube composites under different service conditions, we investigate the tensile creep of polymer-nanotube composites consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The PMMA is pre-irradiated by ultraviolet light with different doses to change the molecular weight. The creep deformation of the PMMA-MWCNT composites with the weight fraction of MWCNTs in a range of 0 to 0.7 wt.% in a temperature range of 50 to 80 °C is well described by a Maxwell standard model with parallel connection between a spring, E 1 , and a Maxwell element (a dashpot, η, in the series connection with a spring, E 2 ). The value of E 1 is a linear function of the inverse of the normalized weight fraction with the average values of the coefficients/constants for the linear relation being increasing functions of the weight fraction of MWCNTs. The value of η is a power function of the molecular weight with a power index of ~3.3. The activation energy for the creep deformation of the PMMA-MWCNT composites increases with the increase of the weight fraction of MWCNTs.