Developing Nanocomposites with Highly Aligned Nanoscale Reinforcement

EPSRC投资组合：制造未来主题，研究领域：复杂流体与流变学（维护），材料工程-复合材料（维护）纳米复合材料的发展是一个非常令人兴奋的新兴研究领域；通过在聚合物中加入纳米材料，如石墨烯和碳纳米管，纳米复合材料可以显著增强机械和电学性能。控制聚合物中纳米材料排列的能力开辟了一套迷人的新材料特性，这些特性可以随着方向进一步增强和变化。这种材料将在广泛的结构、电气和势垒领域开辟新的应用。支撑这种材料的科学位于材料科学、化学和物理学之间的边界。该项目为卡迪夫工程学院的机械和电气工程师、卡迪夫化学学院催化研究所的工作人员以及行业合作伙伴Haydale有限公司（英国领先的纳米材料供应商和加工商）提供了一个极好的机会。该项目将专注于制造具有高度排列的石墨烯和碳纳米管增强的聚合物基纳米复合材料，与随机取向的纳米复合材料相比，这些增强材料表现出方向依赖的机械和电气性能。通过测试和分析，将对这些材料形成强有力的科学认识。这项工作将寻求开发纳米材料加工技术，最初的重点是湿化学，以增强它们在磁场内排列的倾向。混合和加工纳米复合材料的技术将被优化，纳米材料排列的程度和随后对材料性能的影响将被研究。候选人将接受与纳米材料化学处理相关的广泛技术的培训和发展技能；纳米材料处理;纳米复合材料制造;磁性装置的使用；复合材料的机械和电气测试；材料分析和检验（包括XPS， XRD，电子显微镜和AFM）。

EPSRC Portfolio: Manufacturing the Future theme, research areas: Complex Fluids & Rheology (maintain), Materials Engineering - Composites (maintain)The development of nanocomposites is a highly exciting emerging field of research; formed by the addition of nanomaterials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes in to polymers, it has been shown that nanocomposites can have significantly enhanced mechanical and electrical properties. The ability to control the alignment of nanomaterials in polymers opens up a fascinating new set of material properties that can be further enhanced and varied with direction. Such materials will open up new applications in a wide range of structural, electrical and barrier fields. The science that underpins such materials sits at the boundary between materials science, chemistry and physics. This project presents an excellent opportunity to work with Mechanical and Electrical Engineers from Cardiff School of Engineering, staff from the Catalysis Institute in the Cardiff School of Chemistry and industry partners Haydale Ltd., who are a leading UK supplier and processor of nanomaterials.The project will focus on the manufacture of polymer based nanocomposites with highly aligned graphene and carbon nanotube reinforcements that exhibit directionally dependent mechanical and electrical properties, when compared with randomly orientated nanocomposites. A strong scientific understanding of these materials will be developed through testing and analysis. The work will seek to develop nanomaterial processing techniques, initially focussing on wet chemistry, that enhance their tendency to align within a magnetic field. Techniques for mixing and processing nanocomposites will be optimised and the extent of nanomaterial alignment and the subsequent effect on material properties will be investigated.The candidate will receive training and develop skills in a broad range of techniques in relation to chemical processing of nanomaterials; nanomaterials handling; nanocomposite manufacturing; use of magnetic devices; mechanical and electrical testing of composites; materials analysis and inspection (including XPS, XRD, electron microscopy and AFM).