The unique and exceptional physical properties of carbon nanotubes have inspired their use as a filler within a polymeric matrix to produce carbon nanotube polymer composites with enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. A powerful method of synthesising nanofibers comprising these polymer composites is electrospinning, which utilises an applied electric stress to draw out a thin...

Graphene has attracted considerable interest over recent years due to its intrinsic mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. Incorporation of small quantity of graphene fillers into polymer can create novel nanocomposites with improved structural and functional properties. This review introduced the recent progress in fabrication, properties and potential applications of graphene-polymer ...

A polymer nanocomposite was produced by ultrasonic-assisted dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a polycarbonate matrix using p-xylene and dichloromethane as the solvents. The filler loading was varied from 1 to 3 wt % in order to examine the effect of MWCNTs on the structure and properties of the composites. The nanocomposites were characterized by DSC, DTA, TGA, UV-vis, FTIR...

Polymer composites are an attractive near-term means to exploit the unique properties of single wall carbon nanotubes and graphene. This is particularly true for composites aimed at photonic and optoelectronic applications, where a number of devices have already been demonstrated. These include transparent conductors, saturable absorbers, electroluminescent and photovoltaic devices. Here, we pr...

In this work, we report the potential use of novel carbon nanofibers (CNFs), dispersed during fabrication of glass fiber composites to monitor damage propagation under static loading. The use of CNFs enables a transformation of the typically non-conductive glass fiber composites into new fiber composites with appreciable electrical conductivity. The percolation limit of CNFs/epoxy nanocomposite...

Fiberglass-reinforced polymer composites were investigated for potential use as structural dielectrics in multifunctional capacitors that require simultaneous excellent mechanical properties and good energy storage characteristics. Composites were fabricated employing poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, as the structural matrix. While barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanopowder was added to the composites...

Here, we present a review of recent developments for an off-lattice Monte Carlo approach used to investigate the thermal transport properties of multiphase composites with complex structure. The thermal energy was quantified by a large number of randomly moving thermal walkers. Different modes of heat conduction were modeled in appropriate ways. The diffusive heat conduction in the polymer matr...

Two of the drawbacks of using natural-based composites in industrial applications are thermal instability and water uptake capacity. In this work, mechanical wood pulp was used to reinforce polypropylene at a level of 20 to 50 wt. %. Composites were mixed by means of a Brabender internal mixer for both non-coupled and coupled formulations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravi...

Two classes of bulk high-Z polymer composites were prepared, which exhibit scintillation properties for gamma-radiation detection.

Background: Polymer composites when reinforced with heavy metals in the form of micro/nano particles are efficient gamma- and X-ray shielding materials providing such advantageous features as cost-effectiveness, light-weight factor, flexibility, non-toxicity, conformability over conventional shields. Materials and Methods: In this paper the influence of weight percentages and particle sizes of ...