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    Aspect ratio effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of polycarbonate/MWCNT composites
    (Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 2014) Guo, Jiaxi; Liu, Yanjun; Prada-Silvy, Ricardo; Tan, Yongqiang; Azad, Samina; Krause, Beate; Pötschke, Petra; Grady, Brian P.
    Two multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) having relatively high aspect ratios of 313 and 474 with approximately the same diameter were melt mixed with polycarbonate (PC) in a twin-screw conical micro compounder. The effects of aspect ratio on the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the PC/MWCNT composites were investigated. Electrical conductivities and storage moduli of the filled samples are found to be independent of the starting aspect ratio for these high aspect ratio tubes; although the conductivities and storage moduli are still significantly higher than values of composites made with nanotubes having more commercially common aspect ratios of ∼100. Transmission electron microscopy results suggest that melt-mixing reduces these longer nanotubes to the same length, but still approximately two times longer than the length of commercially common aspect ratio tubes after melt-mixing. Molecular weight measurements show that during melt-mixing the longer nanotubes significantly degrade the molecular weight of the polymer as compared to very similar nanotubes with aspect ratio ∼100. Because of the molecular weight reduction glass transition temperatures predictably show a large decrease with increasing nanotube concentration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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    Influence of talc with different particle sizes in melt-mixed LLDPE/MWCNT composites
    (Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 2013) Müller, Michael Thomas; Dreyße, Janine; Häußler, Liane; Krause, Beate; Pötschke, Petra
    Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) was melt-mixed with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and varying amounts of three different kinds of talc (phyllo silicate), each with a different particle size distribution, to examine the effect of these filler combinations with regards to the electrical percolation behavior. The state of the filler dispersion was assessed using transmission light microscopy and electron microscopy. The use of talc as a second filler during the melt mixing of LLDPE/MWCNT composites resulted in an improvement in the dispersion of the MWCNTs and a decrease of the electrical percolation threshold. Talc with lower particle sizes showed a more pronounced effect than talc with larger particle sizes. However, the improvement in dispersion was not reflected in the mechanical properties. Modulus and stress values increase with both, MWCNT and talc addition, but not in a synergistic manner. The crystallization behavior of the composites was studied by differential scanning calorimetry to determine its potential influence on the electrical percolation threshold. It was found that the crystallinity of the matrix increased slightly with the addition of talc but no further increments were observed with the incorporation of the MWCNTs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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    Electrical and melt rheological characterization of PC and co-continuous PC/SAN blends filled with CNTs: Relationship between melt-mixing parameters, filler dispersion, and filler aspect ratio
    (Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 2018) Liebscher, Marco; Domurath, Jan; Krause, Beate; Saphiannikova, Marina; Heinrich, Gert; Pötschke, Petra
    Electrical and melt rheological properties of melt-mixed polycarbonate (PC) and co-continuous PC/poly(styrene–acrylonitrile) (SAN) blends with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are investigated. Using two sets of mixing parameters, different states of filler dispersion are obtained. With increasing CNT dispersion, an increase in electrical resistivity near the percolation threshold of PC–CNT composites and (PC + CNT)/SAN blends is observed. This suggests that the higher mixing energies required for better dispersion also result in a more severe reduction of the CNT aspect ratio; this effect was proven by CNT length measurements. Melt rheological studies show higher reinforcing effects for composites with worse dispersion. The Eilers equation, describing the melt viscosity as function of filler content, was used to fit the data and to obtain information about an apparent aspect ratio change, which was in accordance with measured CNT length reduction. Such fitting could be also transferred to the blends and serves for a qualitatively based discussion. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals