Composites consisting of different quantities of carbon nanotubes and nanofibrils in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix have been prepared using a polymer extrusion technique. The nanotubes or nanofibrils were first dispersed over the polymer matrix particles using a dry powder mixing method. The final composite specimens contained well-dispersed and aligned nanofibrils and nanotubes. Th...

An in situ composite synthesis technique has been developed by grafting polystyrene chains onto single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) via a single-step debundling/polymerization scheme. The method, based on established anionic polymerization techniques, eliminates the need for nanotube pretreatment prior to functionalization and allows attachment of polymer molecules to pristine tubes without al...

Polymer matrix composites used in different industrial applications due to their enhanced mechanical properties and lightweight. However, these materials are subjected to friction and wear situations in some industrial and automobile applications. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the wear properties of polymer matrix composite materials. This article emphasizes the dry abrasive wear be...

The compressive response of polymer matrix fiber reinforced unidirectional composites (PMC’s) is investigated via a combination of experiment and analysis. The study accounts for the nonlinear constitutive response of the polymer matrix material and examines the effect of fiber geometric imperfections, fiber mechanical properties and fiber volume fraction on the measured compressive strength an...

This review summarizes the current state of polymer composites used as dielectric materials for energy storage. The particular focus is on materials: polymers serving as the matrix, inorganic fillers used to increase the effective dielectric constant, and various recent investigations of functionalization of metal oxide fillers to improve compatibility with polymers. We review the recent litera...

Polymer nanocomposites are known to exhibit enhanced mechanical properties compared to neat polymeric system [1]. Fillers can be used as reinforcement in polymer composites for the enhancement of mechanical properties [2]. Reinforced” polymers consist of a polymeric matrix and relatively stiff filler that exhibit a drastic change in modulus or stress at given strain in compare with the pure pol...

Polymer nanocomposites are known to exhibit enhanced mechanical properties compared to neat polymeric system [1]. Fillers can be used as reinforcement in polymer composites for the enhancement of mechanical properties [2]. Reinforced” polymers consist of a polymeric matrix and relatively stiff filler that exhibit a drastic change in modulus or stress at given strain in compare with the pure pol...

Polymer nanocomposites are known to exhibit enhanced mechanical properties compared to neat polymeric system [1]. Fillers can be used as reinforcement in polymer composites for the enhancement of mechanical properties [2]. Reinforced” polymers consist of a polymeric matrix and relatively stiff filler that exhibit a drastic change in modulus or stress at given strain in compare with the pure pol...

Composites of lead zirconate titanate particles in an epoxy matrix are prepared in the form of 0-3 and quasi 1-3 with different ceramic volume contents from 10% to 50%. Two different processing routes are tested. Firstly a conventional dielectrophoretic structuring is used to induce a chain-like particle configuration, followed by curing the matrix and poling at a high temperature and under a h...

A series of observations of polymer sheathing in multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)−polycarbonate composites are presented. This sheathing was observed in images of the composite fracture surface and is consistent with diameter distributions of the as-received and embedded MWCNTs. A novel nanomanipulation experiment, where the sheathing balls up when contacted by an AFM tip, confirms this phen...