Viscoelastic properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/epoxy composites using two different curing cycles

Along with carbon nanotubes (CNT) morphology, impurity, and functionalization, polymer curing cycle is another important factor in determining the mechanical properties of the CNT/polymer composite samples. This work investigates the effect of two different curing cycles on mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of the nanotube in the composite in order to optimize the curing condition in term of time and temperature. Nanocomposite samples were prepared by mixing multi-wall carbon nanotubes with epoxy resin using sonication method. The mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the resulting composite samples were evaluated by performing tensile and dynamic mechanical thermal analyses (DMTA) test. The results indicate that the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of pure epoxy and composite samples have been affected by the condition curing process. Concerning viscoelastic modeling, the COLE-COLE diagram has been plotted by the result of DMTA tests. These results show a good agreement between the Perez model and the viscoelastic behavior of the composite. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.