Cure kinetics and decomposition behaviour of a two part epoxy resin system, Epon 862, reinforced with 1 wt.% unmodified, oxidized (MWCNT-COOH) and fluorinated (MWCNT-F) multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been studied through dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at different conversion levels. Functionalized MWCNTs have disturbed the curing/decomposition behaviour, crosslink density, and the interactions between individual phases in the composite systems thus altering cure kinetics parameters like degree of conversion, activation energy, rate of reaction, enthalpy change, percentage conversion, which were determined using Arrhenius theory.
PinnavaiaT., and WangZ.T., “Nanolayer Reinforcement of Elastomeric Polyurethane,”Chemical Materials, 10(12) (1998), 3769–3771.
5.
DresselhausM.S., DresselhausG., SugiharaK., SpainI.L., and GoldbergH.A., “Graphite fibers and filaments,”Springer, Berlin, Heidlberg: 1988, 392 (393): 406–411.
6.
BelluciS., “Carbon Nanotubes: physics and applications,”Physica Status Solidi (C), 2(1) (2005), 34–47.
7.
ChaeH.G., and KumarS., “Rigid Rod Polymeric Rubbers,”Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 100 (2006), 791–802.
8.
MeoM., and RossiM., “Prediction of Young's Modulus of single wall carbon nanotubes by molecular-mechanics based finite element modelling,”Composites Science and Technology, 66(11-12) (2006), 1597–1605.
9.
SinnottS.B., and AndrewsR., “Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis Properties, and Applications,”Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences, 26 (2001), 145–249.
10.
GojnyF.H., and SchulteK., “Functionalization effect on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of multi-wall carbon nanotube/epoxy-composites,”Composites Science and Technology, 64(15 SPEC ISS) (2004), 2303–2308.
ZhuJ., PengH., Rodriguez-MaciasF., MargraveJ., KhabasheskuV., ImamA., LozanoK., and BarreraE., “Reinforcing epoxy polymer composites through covalent integration of functionalized nanotubes,”Advanced Functional Materials, 14(7) (2004), 643–648.
13.
KhabasheskuV.N., MargraveJ.L., and BarreraE.V., “Functionalized carbon nanotubes and nanodiamonds for engineering and biomedical applications,”Diamond and Related Materials, 14(3-7) (2005), 859–866.
14.
ShofnerM.L., KhabasheskuV.N., and BarreraE.V., “Processing and mechanical properties of fluorinated single-wall carbon nanotube-polyethylene composites,”Chemistry of Materials, 18(4) (2006), 906–913.
15.
LiuP., “Modifications of carbon nanotubes with polymers,”European Polymer Journal, 41 (2005), 2693–2703.
16.
RoscaI.D., WatariF., UoM., and AkasaskaT., “Oxidation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by nitric acid,”Carbon, 43 (2005), 3124–3131.
17.
ZhuJ., KimJ., PengH., MargraveJ.L., KhabasheskuV.N., and BarreraE.V., “Improving the Dispersion and Integration of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Epoxy Composites through Functionalization,”Nanoletters, 3(8) (2003), 1107–1113.
18.
ValentiniL., PugliaD., ArmentanoI., and KennyJ.M., “Sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes through CF4 plasma treatment and subsequent reaction with aliphatic amines,”Chemical Physics Letters, 403 (2005), 385–389.
19.
KhabasheskuV.N., MargraveJ.L., and BarreraE.V., “Functionalized carbon nanotubes and nanodiamonds for engineering and biomedical applications,”Diamond and Related Materials, 14 (2005), 859–866.
20.
ShenJ., HuangW., WuL., HuY., and YeM., “Study on amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes, “Materials Science and Engineering A, 464 (2007), 151–156.
21.
AbdallaM., DeanD., RobinsonP., and NyairoE., “Cure behaviour of epoxy/MWCNT nanocomposites: The effect of nanotube surface modification,”Polymer, 49 (2008), 3310–3317.
22.
ZhouT., WangX., ZhuH., and WangT., “Influence of functionalization of MWCNT on the thermal properties of MWCNTs/DGEBA/EMI-2, 4 nanocomposites,”Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 40(11) (2009), 1792–1797.
23.
PugliaD., ValentiniL., and KennyJ.M., “Analysis of the cure reaction of carbon nanotubes/epoxy resin through thermal analysis and Raman spectroscopy,”Applied Polymer Science, 88(2) (2003), 452–458.
24.
AllaouiA., and BuoniaN., “How carbon nanotubes affect the cure kinetics and glass transition temperature of their epoxy composites? - A review”. Express Polymer Letters, 3(9) 2009, 588–594.
25.
TheodoreM., HosurM., ThomasJ., and JeelaniS., “Influence of functionalization on properties of MWCNT–epoxy nanocomposites,”Materials Science and Engineering: A, (2010), doi:10.1016/j.msea.2010.09.095.
26.
ZhuJ., PengH., Rodriguez-MaciasF., MargraveJ., KhabasheskuV., ImamA., LozanoK., and BarreraE., “Reinforcing epoxy polymer composites through covalent integration of functionalized nanotube,”Advanced Functional Materials, 14(7) (2004), 643–648.
27.
FlynnJ.H., WallL.A., and WuickA., “Direct method for the determination of activation energy from thermogravimetric data,”Polym. Lett., 4 (1966) 323–328.
28.
OzawaT., “A new method of analysing thermogravimetric data,”Bull Chem. Soc. Jpn., 38(11) (1965), 1881–1886.
29.
GanguliS., DeanD., JordanK., PriceG., and VaiaT., “Chemorheology of cyanate ester-OLS nanocomposites,”Polymer, 44(22) (2003), 6901–6911.
