Ultrahigh Carbon Nanotube Volume Fraction Effects on Micromechanical Quasi-Static &amp; Dynamic Properties of Poly(Urethane-Urea) Filled Nanocomposites

Jeffrey Gair; Dale Lidston; Daniel Cole; Robert Lambeth; Alex Hsieh; Hugh Bruck; Asha Hall; Mark Bundy; Brian Wardle

doi:10.3390/ICEM18-05228

Previous Article in event

201 Investigation of 3D TRC's by means of three point bending tests on short beam specimens

Next Article in event

481 Comparison of Fracture Resistance of the Normal an High Strenght Concrete Evaluated by Brazillian Disc Test

Ultrahigh Carbon Nanotube Volume Fraction Effects on Micromechanical Quasi-Static & Dynamic Properties of Poly(Urethane-Urea) Filled Nanocomposites

¹,

²,

³,

⁴,

⁴,

⁵,

³,

³,

^{*

2}

¹ U.S. Army Research Laboratory, RDRL-VTM, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5069, USA Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technol
² Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,MA 02139, USA
³ U.S. Army Research Laboratory, RDRL-VTM, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5069, USA
⁴ U.S. Army Research Laboratory, RDRL-WMM, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5069, USA
⁵ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Published: 15 May 2018 by MDPI in The Eighteenth International Conference of Experimental Mechanics session ICEM 2018

https://doi.org/10.3390/ICEM18-05228

Abstract:

Poly(urethane-urea) (PUU) has been infused into ultrahigh volume fraction carbon nanotube (CNT) forests using a heat-curable polymer formula. Polymer nanocomposites with carbon nanotube volume-fractions of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 30% were fabricated by overcoming densification and infusion obstacles. These polymer nanocomposites were nanoindented quasi-statically and dynamically to discern process-structure-(mechanical) property relations of polymerizing PUU in such densely-packed CNT forests. A 100× increase in indentation modulus has been observed, which is attributed not only to CNT reinforcement of the matrix, but also to molecular interactions in the matrix itself. Quasi-static elastic moduli ranging from 10MPa – 4.5GPa have been recorded. Storage modulus for all materials is found to track well at loadings of 200Hz, with little effect observed from increasing CNT volume fraction.