Production of conductive polymer using carbon nanotube / Ahmed Nizam Thulkarunai

Project paper (Bachelor of Chemical Engineering) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang - 2012

Bibliography : p. 50-53

Polymeric based composite materials have large usage in the industrial scale, which involving improvement of mechanical properties to the alternation of thermal and electrical properties. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit excellent mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties as well as nanometer scale diameter and high aspect ratio, which make them an ideal reinforcing agent for high strength polymer composites. The objectives for this paper are to study the mechanical properties (tensile strength, young modulus and elongation) of conductive polymer, to study the effect of acid and heat treatment process towards the PLA mechanical and electrical properties, to identify effects of different weight percentage of untreated CNTs in PLA matrix and to compare the treated and untreated CNTs mechanical and electrical properties in PLA matrix. The samples prepared are categories into two types firstly using untreated CNTs with Polylactic acid (PLA) with different CNTs compositions and secondly sample prepared from two type of treated CNTs which were using thermal or heat surface treatment and acid surface treatment using hydrochloric acid and the untreated and treated CNTs are mixed into PLA polymer. Method used to produce sample for analysis was by passing through the material in an extrusion molding machine at specific temperature and screw speed followed by injection molding with specific pressure and temperature. The produce sample undergo several analysis and testing which were mechanical testing, Scanning Electron Microscope, Transgravimetric analysis and surface resistivity analysis. From the results it shows that untreated sample with 1.00wt % had higher tensile strength and elongation compared with acid and heat treated CNTs with 1.00wt% CNTs. Meanwhile, Transgravimetric analysis shows that the untreated 1.00wt% CNTs sample had the highest thermal degradation temperature compared to others sample. Surface resistivity analysis for comparing 1.00wt % treated and untreated sample it showed that acid treated sample has the lowest surface resistance with the value of 2.06826 Ohm/sq. The results obtained from the experiments is reliable and shows a pattern of data that can be used for further improving the research in obtaining the optimum amount of CNTs for better future research study. The data also shows that acid treatment with nitric acid is not proper for PLA polymer due to it degradation property when acid and basic impurities are present. In future improvement of research paper alternative treatment could be found in improving CNTs surface properties.