MWCNT-reinforced polyarylene ether nitrile nanocomposites

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effect of surface roughness of acidulated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on the physical performances of MWCNT/polyarylene ether nitrile (MWCNT/PEN) nanocomposites. Acidulated MWCNTs with different surface roughnesses were prepared by ultrasonicating and refluxing of MWCNTs in the mixture solvent of sulfuric acid/nitric acid and characterized by atomic force microscopy. With longer acidulating time, more and more oxygen functional groups including carboxyl and hydroxyl groups which result in the coarser surface of the obtained MWCNT, were generated. MWCNT/PEN composites were fabricated by using the solution-casting method with the acidulated MWCNTs and PEN. SEM observation showed that the acidulated MWCNTs are well-embedded in the polymer matrix without aggregation. differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the incorporation of acidulated MWCNTs can improve the thermal behavior of the resulted polymer composites. The coarser the surface of the acidulated MWCNT, the better the mechanical performances of the obtained composites, while opposite results were observed for the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. The dynamical rheological results showed that a better compatibility between the MWCNT and PEN is achieved when the coarser MWCNT is used.