Reinforcing the bandaged joint of double-walled carbon nanotube strands by intercalation of epoxy resin

In this study, epoxy resin was used as adhesive material to strengthen the bandaged joint of double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) strands in a solution mixing way. As the concentration of soaking solution rises from 10 vol.% to 50 vol.%, the average tensile strength and Young's modulus of the composite joint increase and reach as high as 379 MPa and 17.1 GPa, which are improved by the factors of 1 and 1.6 compared with those of the original joint, respectively. This reinforcement of original joint can be attributed to stronger bonding and better load transfer between the DWNT bundles inside the composite joint induced by intercalated epoxy resin, which is further proved by Raman study on D′ band.