SBIR Phase II: Incorporation of Carbon Nanotubes into Nylon Filaments

这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目将继续开发一种方法，将单壁碳纳米管（SWNT）纳入尼龙作为增强材料。它们的结合将通过用官能化聚合物包裹SWNT来实现，所述官能化聚合物与SWNT机械地相互作用，但不与它们化学结合。聚合物将化学结合到尼龙上，并且以这种方式将在最终复合材料中充当尼龙基质和纳米管之间的负载传递管道。聚合物将碳纳米管的非凡强度和耐久性转移到尼龙复合材料的程度将取决于SWNT和尼龙基质之间的新界面的功能。对于尼龙纤维，单壁碳纳米管沿着纤维丝长轴排列的可能程度将对纤维的导热性和导电性以及强度起作用。这项工作的主要重点是优化单壁碳纳米管/尼龙基体的相互作用，以获得最佳的负载传递性能。还将研究使单壁碳纳米管沿着尼龙长丝的长轴排列以使纤维强度最大化的方法。在商业上，这种高强度尼龙复合材料将在航空航天工业中具有重要的应用，用于制造重量轻、可回收的卫星运载火箭、可重复使用的航天器等。轻量化和隐形能力。该技术的成功开发将产生新型轻质热塑性复合材料，这些复合材料具有极高的弯曲强度、拉伸强度和冲击强度，并且可以轻松模制成任何所需的形状。这项新技术最终将适用于许多其他材料。此外，由于这些复合材料是热塑性塑料，而不是热固性塑料，它们将更容易回收。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will continue developing a method for incorporating Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT) into nylon to act as reinforcement. Their incorporation will be achieved by wrapping the SWNTs with a functionalized polymer that interacts with the SWNTs mechanically, but is not chemically bound to them. The polymer will be chemically bound to the nylon and in this way will act as a load transferring conduit between the nylon matrix and nanotubes in the final composite. How well the polymer transfers the extraordinary strength and durability of the carbon nanotubes to the nylon composite will depend on how well this new interface, between the SWNT and the nylon matrix, functions. For nylon fibers, the degree to which it is possible to align the SWNTs along the major axis of the fiber filaments will play a role in the fiber's thermal and electrical conductivity as well as strength. The primary focus of this work is to optimize the SWNT/nylon matrix interaction in order to obtain the best load transfer properties. Methods to align the SWNTs along the long axis of the nylon filaments in order to maximize fiber strength will also be investigated.Commercially, this high strength nylon composite will have significant applications in the aerospace industry for use in fabricating lightweight, retrievable, satellite launch vehicles, reusable space craft etc. The military will also be interested in this technology because of the combination of exceptionally high strength, lightweight and stealth capability. The successful development of this technology will result in new lightweight thermoplastic composites that have extraordinarily high flexural, tensile and impact strengths and can be easily molded into any shape desired. This new technology will eventually be applicable to many other materials. Additionally, since these composites are thermoplastics and not a thermosets, they will be more easily recycled.