CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CHEMICAL-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CNT AND MACROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF RELATED NANOCOMPOSITES: A STATISTICAL APPROACH

In the frame of this work, two different samples of CNTs, namely CNT 1 and CNT 2, were synthesized [1] with different degree of purity and aspect ratio and used as fillers either without any treatment or after a plasma-oxidation, to prepare polycarbonate (PC)-based nanocomposites by melt mixing. The influence of plasma treatment, filler content and type of CNTs on the mechanical, dynamic-mechanical, and electrical properties of the materials was assessed by a two level full factorial design. The morphological analysis carried out by SEM and TEM evidenced the formation of a nanohybrid structure when oxidized CNTs were used as filler. Generally speaking, CNT 2 showed the best dispersion and the strongest adhesion to the matrix. As regards the effect of the functionalization, it was evident that a stronger interfacial adhesion and a better dispersion were achieved after fillers plasma-treatment. The statistical approach pointed out that functionalization and typology of the CNTs played a crucial role on the properties of the nanocomposites rather than filler content. The main effect of these 3 variables on the storage modulus at 50 °C carried out by DMTA (a) and on the electrical conductivity (b) of the nanocomposites is reported in Fig. 1.