Influence of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposites

The effects of matrix stiffness and the content of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites have been examined in this investigation. The matrix stiffness was controlled by changing the mixture ratio between the epoxy and hardener. Two different contents (1 wt.%. and 2 wt.%) of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were added to the epoxy matrix. Three-Point-Bending and Shore's hardness tests were conducted to determine the Young's modulus and hardness of the nanocornposites, respectively. Experimental results showed that the Young's modulus of the nanocomposites was significantly increased with the increase of the addition of MWCNTs. However, the improvement of the hardness of the epoxy was insignificant with the addition of the MWCNTs. The reinforcement role of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes decreased while increasing the stiffness matrix.