Experimental analysis of stabilizing effects of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on thermal oxidation of poly(ethylene glycol)–CNT composites

Effect of Strain on Heating Characteristics of Silicone/CNT Composites

In this work, silicone/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites were produced using a spread coating process, followed by morphological investigations and determination of their electrical properties and heating behaviour through the application of electric potential. Composites containing varying amounts of CNT (1–7%) were investigated for their thermal behaviour with the use of an IR camera. Subsequently, thermal behaviour and electrical properties were measured when the samples were stretched (up to 20%). With the 7% CNT composites, which had a conductivity of 106 S/m, it was possible to achieve a temperature of 155 °C at a relatively low voltage of 23 V. For high CNT contents, when the potential was controlled in such a way as to maintain the temperature well below 100 °C, the temperature remained almost constant at all levels of strain investigated. At higher potentials yielding temperatures around 100 °C and above, stretching had a drastic effect on temperature. These results are critical for designing composites for dynamic applications requiring a material whose properties remain stable under strain.

Radical scavenging activity of carbon nanotubes: toward appropriate selection of a radical initiator

Radical scavenging activities are attractive properties not only for scientific fields e.g. biomedicine, but for the materials industry. In this study, we report that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can scavenge radicals from organic peroxides, while radicals from azo-type radical initiators exhibit only a few effects from the presence of CNTs. In addition, experimental results suggest the possibility that captured peroxide radicals generate active radical sites on the CNT surface, from which polymerization can take place. These results indicate the importance of selecting an appropriate radical initiator.

Carbon nanotubes scavenge radicals preferentially from peroxides, and polymerization presumably takes place from generated active radical sites on the surface.