Multi-walled carbon nanotube reinforced epoxy composites were fabricated using shear mixing and sonication. The mechanical, viscoelastic, thermal, and electrical properties of the fabricated specimens were measured and evaluated. From the images and the results of the measurements of tensile strengths, the specimens having 0.6 wt% nanotube content showed better dispersion and higher strength than those of the other specimens. The Young's moduli of the specimens increased as the nanotube filler content was increased in the matrix. As the concentrations of nanotubes filler were increased in the composite specimens, their storage and loss moduli also tended to increase. The specimen having a nanotube filler content of 0.6 wt% showed higher thermal conductivity than that of the other specimens. On the other hand, in the measurement of thermal expansion, specimens having 0.4 and 0.6 wt% filler contents showed a lower value than that of the other specimens. The electrical conductivities also increased with increasing content of nanotube filler. Based on the measured and evaluated properties of the composites, it is believed that the simple and efficient fabrication process used in this study was sufficient to obtain improved properties in the specimens.

A filtration-tapingmethod was demonstrated to fabricate carbon nanotube (CNT) emitters. This method shows many good features, including high mechanical adhesion, good electrical contact, low temperature, organic-free, low cost, large size, and suitability for various CNT materials and substrates. These good features promise an advanced fieldemission performance with a turn-on fieldof 0.88 V/mm at a current density of 0.1 mA/cm2, a threshold fieldof 1.98 V/mm at a current density of 1 mA/cm2, and a good stability of over 20 h. The filtratio-taping technique is an effective way to realize low-cost, large-size, and high-performance CNT emitters.

고무상 고분자인 PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane)에 HNT (halloysite nanotube)의 함량을 5, 10, 20, 30 wt%로 달리하여 PDMS-HNT 복합막을 제조하고, FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM에 의해서 막의 특성을 조사하였다. 기체투과 실험은 25°C, 3 kg/cm2 조건에서 수행하였고, PDMS-HNT 복합막의 HNT 함량 변화에 따른 H2, N2, CH4, CO2들의 기체투과도와 선택도를 조사하였다. H2, N2, CH4, CO2의 투과기체에 대해 HNT 함량이 0~30 wt% 범위에서 HNT 함량이 증가할수록 기체들의 투과도는 전체적으로 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 선택도(CO2/N2)는 14~44의 값을 보였고, 선택도(CO2/CH4)는 3.0~7.7의 값을 보였다.

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) consist of a polymeric matrix and a conductive fil-er, for example, carbon black, carbon fibers,graphite or carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The criti-cal amount of the electrically conductive fillernecessary to build up a continuous conductive network, and accordingly, to make the material conductive; is referred to as the percolation threshold. From technical and economical viewpoints, it is desirable to decrease the conduc-tive-fillerpercolation-threshold as much as possible. In this study, we investigated the effect of polymer/conductive-fillerinteractions, as well as the processing and morphological devel-opment of low-percolation-threshold (Φc) conductive-polymer composites. The aim of the study was to produce conductive composites containing less multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) than required for pure polypropylene (PP) through two approaches: one using various mix-ing methods and the other using immiscible polymer blends. Variants of the conductive PP composite filledwith MWCNT was prepared by dry mixing, melt mixing, mechanofusion, and compression molding. The percolation threshold (Φc) of the MWCNT-PP composites was most successfully lowered using the mechanofusion process than with any other mixing method (2-5 wt%). The mechanofusion process was found to enhance formation of a perco-lation network structure, and to ensure a more uniform state of dispersion in the CPCs. The immiscible-polymer blends were prepared by melt mixing (internal mixer) poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVD, PP/PVDF, volume ratio 1:1) filled with MWCN.

A powder-in-sheath rolling method was applied to a fabrication of a carbon nano tube (CNT) reinforcedaluminum composite. A STS304 tube with an outer diameter of 34 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm was used as asheath material. A mixture of pure aluminum powders and CNTs with the volume contents of 1, 3, 5 vol was filled inthe tube by tap filling and then processed to 73.5% height reduction by a rolling mill. The relative density of the CNT/Al composite fabricated by the powder-in-sheath rolling decreased slightly with increasing of CNTs content, but exhib-ited high value more than 98. The grain size of the aluminum matrix was largely decreased with addition of CNTs; itdecreased from 24 µm to 0.9 µm by the addition of only 1 volCNT. The average hardness of the composites increasedby approximately 3 times with the addition of CNTs, comparing to that of unreinforced pure aluminum. It is concludedthat the powder-in-sheath rolling method is an effective process for fabrication of CNT reinforced Al matrix composites.

We demonstrated size control of Au nanoparticles by heat treatment and their use as a catalyst for single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNTs) growth with narrow size distribution. We used uniformly sized Au nanoparticles from commercial Au colloid, and intentionally decreased their size through heat treatment at 800 oC under atmospheric Ar ambient. ST-cut quartz wafers were used as growth substrates to achieve parallel alignment of the SWNTs and to investigate the size relationship between Au nanoparticles and SWNTs. After the SWNTs were grown via chemical vapor deposition using methane gas, it was found that a high degree of horizontal alignment can be obtained when the particle density is low enough to produce individual SWNTs. The diameter of the Au nanoparticles gradually decreased from 3.8 to 2.9 nm, and the mean diameter of the SWNTs also changed from 1.6 to 1.2 nm for without and 60 min heat treatment, respectively. Raman results reconfirmed that the prolonged heat treatment of nanoparticles yields thinner tubes with narrower size distribution. This work demonstrated that heat treatment can be a straightforward and reliable method to control the size of catalytic nanoparticles and SWNT diameter.

본 연구에서는 탄소나노튜브와 폴리프로필렌 기지 간 계면결합력과 나노튜브의 국부적 응집에 따른 나노복합재의 탄소성거동 변화에 대한 파라메트릭 연구를 수행한다. 나노복합재의 탄소성 거동 예측을 위해 분자동역학 전산모사를 수행하고, 분자동역학 결과와 Mori-Tanaka 모델을 적용한 비선형 미시역학 모델을 연계하여 나노복합재 내 흡착계면의 탄소성 거동을 역으로 도출하는 2단계 영역분할 기법을 적용하였다. 미시역학 모델에서는 시컨트 계수방법을 Mori-Tanaka 모델에 적용하여 나노복합재의 비선형 거동을 예측하는 방법을 적용하였으며, 나노튜브와 기지 간 재료계면의 불완전 결합을 고려하기 위해 변위 불연속 조건을 적용하였다. 흡착영역을 고려한 미시역학 모델을 통해 흡착계면의 유무 및 재료계면 결합력 변화 그리고 나노튜브의 국부적 응집현상에 따른 나노복합재의 응력-변형률 관계를 예측하였다. 그 결과 나노튜브의 국부적 응집이나노복합재의 강화효과를 저하시키는 가장 중요한 변수임을 확인하였다.

Flexible transparent conducting films (TCFs) were fabricated by dip-coating single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) onto a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The amount of coated SWCNTs was controlled simply by dipping number. Because the performance of SWCNT-based TCFs is influenced by both electrical conductance and optical transmittance, we evaluated the film performance by introducing a film property factor using both the number of interconnected SWCNT bundles at intersection points, and the coverage of SWCNTs on the PET substrate, in field emission scanning electron microscopic images. The microscopic film property factor was in an excellent agreement with the macroscopic one determined from electrical conductance and optical transmittance measurements, especially for a small number of dippings. Therefore, the most crucial factor governing the performance of the SWCNT-based TCFs is a SWCNT-network structure with a large number of intersection points for a minimum amount of deposited SWCNTs.

In this work, we report in-situ observations of changes in catalyst morphology, and of growth termination of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs), by complete loss of the catalyst particle attached to it. The observations strongly support the growth-termination mechanism of CNT forests or carpets by dynamic morphological evolution of catalyst particles induced by Ostwald ripening, and sub-surface diffusion. We show that in the tip-growth mode, as well as in the base-growth mode, the growth termination of CNT by dissolution of catalyst particles is plausible. This may allow the growth termination mechanism by evolution of catalyst morphology to be applicable to not only CNT forest growth, but also to other growth methods (for example, floating-catalyst chemical vapor deposition), which do not use any supporting layer or substrate beneath a catalyst layer.

Carbon nanotube-dispersed bismuth telluride matrix (CNT/Bi2Te3) nanopowders were synthesized by chem- ical routes followed by a ball-milling process. The microstructures of the synthesized CNT/Bi2Te3 nanopowders showed the characteristic microstructure of CNTs dispersed among disc-shaped Bi2Te3 nanopowders with as an average size of 500 nm in-plane and a few tens of nm in thickness. The prepared nanopowders were sintered into composites with a homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in a Bi2Te3 matrix. The dimensionless figure-of-merit of the composite showed an enhanced value compared to that of pure Bi2Te3 at the room temperature due to the reduced thermal conductivity and increased electrical conductivity with the addition of CNTs.

It has been demonstrated in a previous study that carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy/basalt composites produce better flexural properties than epoxy/basalt composites. In this study, mode I fracture tests were conducted using CNT/epoxy/basalt composites with and without seawater absorption in order to investigate the effect of the seawater absorption on the mode I fracture toughness (GIC) of the CNT/epoxy/basalt composites. The results demonstrated that the compliance of the seawater-absorbed specimen was larger than that of the dry specimen at the same crack length, while the opposite result was obtained for the fracture load. The GIC value of the seawater-absorbed CNT/epoxy/basalt composites was approximately 20% lower than that of the dry CNT/epoxy/basalt composites.

Excellent electron transport properties with enhanced light scattering ability for light harvesting have made well-ordered one dimensional TiO2 nanotube(TNT) arrays an alternative candidate over TiO2 nanoparticles in the area of solar energy conversion applications. The principal drawback of TNT arrays being activated only by UV light has been addressed by coupling the TNT with secondary materials which are visible light-triggered. As well as extending the absorption region of sunlight, the introduction of these foreign components is also found to influence the charge separation and electron lifetime of TNT. In this study, a novel method to fabricate the TNT-based composite photoelectrodes employing visible responsive CuInS2 (CIS) nanoparticles is presented. The developed method is a square wave pulse-assisted electrochemical deposition approach to wrap the inner and outer walls of a TNT array with CIS nanoparticles. Instead of coating as a dense compact layer of CIS by a conventional non-pulsed-electrochemical deposition method, the nanoparticles pack relatively loosely to form a rough surface which increases the surface area of the composite and results in a higher degree of light scattering within the tubular channels and hence a greater chance of absorption. The excellence coverage of CIS on the tubular TiO2 allows the construction of an effective heterojunction that exhibits enhanced photoelectrochemical performance.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly attracting scientific and industrial interest because of their outstanding characteristics, such as a high Young's modulus and tensile strength, low density, and excellent electrical and thermal properties. The incorporation of CNTs into polymer matrices greatly improves the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the materials. Surface modification of CNTs can improve their processibility and dispersion within the composites. This paper aims to review the surface modification of CNTs, processing technologies, and mechanical and electrical properties of CNT-based epoxy composites.

A fabrication method to improve the processability of thermoplastic carbon nanotube (CNT) mat composites was investigated by using in-situ polymerizable and low viscous cyclic butylene terephthalate oligomers. The electrical conductivity of the CNT mat composites strongly depended on the compression pressure, and the trend can be explained in terms of two cases, low and high compression pressure, respectively. High CNT mat content in the CNT mat composites and the surface of the CNT mat composites with fully contacted CNTs was achieved under high compression pressure, and direct contact between four probes and the surface of the CNT mat composites with fully contacted CNTs gave resistance of 2.1Ω. In this study the maximum electrical conductivity of the CNT mat composites, obtained under a maximum applied compression pressure of 27 MPa, was 11 904 S m-1, where the weight fraction of the CNT mat was 36.5%.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties compared with those of commercialized high-performance fibers. For use in the form of fabrics that can maintain such properties, individual CNTs should be held together in fibers or made into yarns twisted out of the fibers. Typical methods that are used for such purposes include (a) surfactant-based coagulation spinning, which injects a polymeric binder between CNTs to form fibers; (b) liquid-crystalline spinning, which uses the nature of CNTs to form liquid crystals under certain conditions; (c) direct spinning, which can produce CNT fibers or yarns at the same time as synthesis by introducing a carbon source into a vertical furnace; and (d) forest spinning, which draws and twists CNTs grown vertically on a substrate. However, it is difficult for those CNT fibers to express the excellent properties of individual CNTs as they are. As solutions to this problem, post-treatment processes are under development for improving the production process of CNT fibers or enhancing their properties. This paper discusses the recent methods of fabricating CNT fibers and examines some post-treatment processes for property enhancement and their applications.

In this work, iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were deposited on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by a simple chemical coprecipitation method and Fe3O4-decorated MWNTs (Fe-MWNTs)/polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposites (Fe-MWNTs/PPy) were prepared by oxidation polymerization. The effect of the PPy on the electrochemical properties of the Fe-MWNTs was investigated. The structures characteristics and surface properties of MWNTs, Fe-MWNTs, and Fe-MWNTs/PPy were characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The electrochemical performances of MWNTs, Fe-MWNTs, and Fe-MWNTs/PPy were determined by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge characteristics in a 1.0 M sodium sulfite electrolyte. The results showed that the Fe-MWNTs/PPy electrode had typical pseudo-capacitive behavior and a specific capacitance significantly greater than that of the Fe-MWNT electrode, indicating an enhanced electrochemical performance of the Fe-MWNTs/PPy due to their high electrical properties.

A investigation of electrochemical analysis of antibiotics Neomycin (C23H46N6O13) was searched using electrochemical square wave (SW) stripping and cyclic voltammetry (CV) using working sensor of the modified carbon nanotube combination electrodes, optimum diagnostic parameters were searched by anodic stripping, final conditions were attained to working range of 1.0-14.0 ng/L, detection limit (S/N) was found to be 0.6 ng/L. The developed method was discovered to be fitting in quality control in the food, pharmaceutical and other manufacturing sectors.

Nanocomposite films were made by a simple solution casting method in which multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4) were used as dopant materials to enhance the electrical conductivity of chitosan nanocomposite films. The films contained fixed CNT concentrations (5, 8, and 10 wt%) and varying Fe3O4 content. It was determined that a 1:1 ratio of CNT to Fe3O4 provided optimal conductivity according to dopant material loading. X-ray diffraction patterns for the nanocomposite films, were determined to investigate their chemical and phase composition, revealed that nanoparticle agglomeration occurred at high Fe3O4 loadings, which hindered the synergistic effect of the doping materials on the conductivity of the films.

Bio assay of mercury and cadmium ions were searched using voltammetric analysis using DNA doped carbon nanotube paste electrodes (DCP). The square-wave stripping voltammetryic optimized results indicated working ranges of 1-10.0 ngL-1 and 20-100 ugL-1, Hg(II) Cd(II) within an accumulation time of 120 seconds, in 0.1-M phosphate buffer solutions of pH 6.3. The relative standard deviations of 5 ngL-1 Hg(II) and Cd(II) that observed were 0.14 and 0.22% (n=12), respectively, using optimum conditions. The low detection limit (S/N) was pegged at 0.1 ngL-1 (4.9×10-11M) Hg(II) and 0.2 ngL-1 (1.77×10-10M) Cd(II). The developed methods can be applied to assays in biological fish kidneys and water samples.

We report on the NO gas sensing properties of Al-doped zinc oxide-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) wire-like layered composites fabricated by coaxially coating Al-doped ZnO thin films on randomly oriented single-walled carbon nanotubes. We were able to wrap thin ZnO layers around the CNTs using the pulsed laser deposition method, forming wire-like nanostructures of ZnO-CNT. Microstructural observations revealed an ultrathin wire-like structure with a diameter of several tens of nm. Gas sensors based on ZnO-CNT wire-like layered composites were found to exhibit a novel sensing capability that originated from the genuine characteristics of the composites. Specifically, it was observed by measured gas sensing characteristics that the gas sensors based on ZnO-CNT layered composites showed a very high sensitivity of above 1,500% for NO gas in dry air at an optimal operating temperature of 200˚C; the sensors also showed a low NO gas detection limit at a sub-ppm level in dry air. The enhanced gas sensing properties of the ZnO-CNT wire-like layered composites are ascribed to a catalytic effect of Al elements on the surface reaction and an increase in the effective surface reaction area of the active ZnO layer due to the coating of CNT templates with a higher surface-to-volume ratio structure. These results suggest that ZnO-CNT composites made of ultrathin Al-doped ZnO layers uniformly coated around carbon nanotubes can be promising materials for use in practical high-performance NO gas sensors.