Preparation, characterization, and modeling of carbon nanofiber/epoxy nanocomposites

Zoubeida Ounaies, Lan Hui Sun, Xin Lin Gao, Casey A. Whalen, Zhen Guo Yang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

There is a lack of systematic investigations on both mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced epoxy matrix nanocomposites. In this paper, an in-depth study of both static and dynamic mechanical behaviors and electrical properties of CNF/epoxy nanocomposites with various contents of CNFs is provided. A modified Halpin-Tsai equation is used to evaluate the Young's modulus and storage modulus of the nanocomposites. The values of Young's modulus predicted using this method account for the effect of the CNF agglomeration and fit well with those obtained experimentally. The results show that the highest tensile strength is found in the epoxy nanocomposite with a 1.0 wt CNFs. The alternate-current (AC) electrical properties of the CNF/epoxy nanocomposites exhibit a typical insulator-conductor transition. The conductivity increases by four orders of magnitude with the addition of 0.1 wt (0.058 vol) CNFs and by ten orders of magnitude for nanocomposites with CNF volume fractions higher than 1.0 wt (0.578 vol). The percolation threshold (i.e., the critical CNF volume fraction) is found to be at 0.057 vol.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number307589
JournalJournal of Nanomaterials
Volume2011
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Preparation, characterization, and modeling of carbon nanofiber/epoxy nanocomposites'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this