Modelling, processing and characterization of carbon nanotube polymer composites

为了实现下一代航空结构材料，必须研究新的先进材料形式。 在1991年发现碳纳米管时，人们认为碳纳米管是纳米复合材料的理想增强材料。 近十年来，对碳纳米管的合成、性能和应用的研究为碳纳米管聚合物纳米复合材料的性能研究带来了巨大的价值。 大多数早期的工作集中在直接将纳米管作为树脂中的增强材料。 结果表明，通过溶液浇铸、熔融混合、熔融纤维、原位聚合和纳米管官能化处理的热塑性和热固性聚合物纳米复合材料获得的性质的显著变化。 这主要是由于在CNT体积分数大于百分之一的情况下用聚合物基质加工CNT的巨大困难造成的。 纳米管分散、对齐和与聚合物基质的界面的不良控制的问题是这些令人失望的结果的主要原因。 鉴于上述情况，拟议的研究计划的目标是开发和实施一个综合框架，包括建模，加工和表征，以生产高性能CNT聚合物纳米复合材料的宏观尺度和微机电系统（MEMS）的应用。 将开发预测CNT聚合物纳米复合材料的物理，机械和加工性能作为纳米管分散，浓度，纯化，功能化和取向的函数的新模型。 将建立生产CNT聚合物纳米复合材料、混合复合材料层压板和MEMS微致动器的创新制造技术。 这种集成方法是新的，因为CNT纳米复合材料开发的大多数努力都集中在制造和测试纳米复合材料上，而没有考虑加工问题。 拟议的工作可以帮助开发新的纳米复合材料制造技术，将利用CNT作为增强材料的全部潜力。

To achieve the next generation of aerospace structural materials, new advanced material forms must be investigated. At the time of their discovery in 1991, carbon nanotubes (CNT) were believed to be the ideal reinforcements for nanocomposites. Over the last decade, the research on carbon nanotubes synthesis, properties and applications have produced a massive amount of values for the properties of CNT polymer nanocomposites. Most of the earlier work focused on the direct incorporation of the nanotubes as reinforcements in the resin. The results show significant variability in properties obtained for thermoplastic and thermoset polymer nanocomposites processed by solution casting, melt mixing, melt fibres, in-situ polymerization and nanotube functionalization. This is mainly caused by the great difficulty of processing CNT with polymer matrices at CNT volume fraction greater than one percent. Issues with the poor control of the nanotube dispersion, alignment and interface with the polymer matrix are principally responsible for these disappointing results. In light of the above, the objective of the proposed research program is to develop and implement an integrated framework that includes modelling, processing and characterization in order to produce high performance CNT polymer nanocomposites for macro scale and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. New models that predict the physical, mechanical and processing properties of CNT polymer nanocomposites as a function of nanotube dispersion, concentration, purification, functionalization and orientation will be developed. Innovative manufacturing techniques to produce CNT polymer nanocomposites, hybrid composite laminates and MEMS microactuators will be established. The integration approach is new as most efforts on CNT nanocomposite development focused on making and testing the nanocomposite without taking processing issues into account. The proposed work could help develop new nanocomposite manufacturing techniques that will use the full potential of CNT as reinforcements.