NANOCOMPOSITES
AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL COMPOSITES
Nanocomposites
are composite materials where one of the constituents has
dimensions in the range of 1- 100 nm. Ongoing research in
the composites group at Northwestern University deals with
thermomechanical behavior of polymer composites reinforced
with nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes, clay nanoplatelets,
and graphite nanoplatelets. The research comprises processing,
characterization, and modeling of nanocomposites, as well
as multi-scale hybrid nano-microcomposites.
 |
 |
| Conventional
miscible |
Partially
intercalated and exfoliated |
 |
 |
| Fully
intercalated and dispersed |
Fully
exfoliated and dispersed |
Clay/epoxy nanocomposites
TEM
micrograph of clay/epoxy nanocomposite
showing well intercalated clay platelets
TEM micrograph of clay/epoxy nanocomposite
Stress-strain
curves of clay/epoxy nanocomposites
for various clay concentrations
Expanded graphite with platelets of 40 m2/g
specific area
Expanded
graphite with platelets of 100 m2/g specific area
Specific
surface area of graphite platelets
Processing methods for nanocomposites
Characterization
Techniques
- Graphite
structure
Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD)
- Nano/Microstructure
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
- Mechanical
properties at room temperature
Testing in servo-hydraulic machine
- Viscoelastic
properties
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA)
Wide
angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) patterns of pure graphite
and
expanded graphite/epoxy nanocomposite processed by different
methods
Three-phase modeling of nanocomposites
Stress-strain
behavior of EG/epoxy and clay/epoxy
nanocomposites
as a function of nanoparticle concentration
(
Comparison of experimental results and predictions )
Predicted
and measured modulus of graphite/epoxy nanocomposites as
a function of particle aspect ratio
Viscoelastic properties of epoxy and expanded graphite/epoxy
nanocomposite
Multi-scale hybrid nano-micro composites
Enhancement of mechanical behavior of hybrid nano-micro composites.
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