Role of carbon nanotubes in polycarbonate composites for modification in hardness

Abstract

Nano-indentation technique has been used for mechanical characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes-polycarbonate (MWCNT-PC) composites. The composites was prepared by solution blending followed by compression molding. The amount of MWCNT was varied by weight from 0.5 to 10% in PC. Hardness increased by 68% for minor compositions (0.5%) of MWCNTs and increased to nearly 400% for compositions of MWCNT approaching 10% as compared to pure PC, indicating clearly the effective role of MWCNTs in better load transfer property. These results are in agreement with studies conducted for smaller compositions of carbon based nano-materials and also in other polymers. © 2014, Universiti Malaysia Perlis. All rights reserved.