Applied Study On Mechanics Of Nanocomposites With Carbon Nanofillers

The incorporation of small amount of hard and soft carbon nanofillers, such as nanoscale diamond, carbon ash and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have different effect on the surface properties of the neat polyester resin and polypropylene. The soft nanofiller, carbon ash did not influence the wear properties of the polyester resin up to 5 wt% filler content. In contrast, 0.5-5 wt% hard nanodiamond strongly decreased the wear mass loss of the polyester resin. The scratch resistance and the coefficient of friction of the polypropylene is improved significantly while there is 0.1-3 wt% MWCNT. Small amount of MWCNTs change significantly the molecular structure of the polypropylene, producing a nucleation effect. This was found to assist in the changes of surface properties by increasing the hardness, friction and wear of polypropylene.