Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Aug 26;11(9):2186.
doi: 10.3390/nano11092186.

Mechanical Performance and Applications of CNTs Reinforced Polymer Composites-A Review

N M Nurazzi  1   2 , F A Sabaruddin  1 , M M Harussani  3 , S H Kamarudin  4 , M Rayung  5 , M R M Asyraf  6 , H A Aisyah  1   7 , M N F Norrrahim  8 , R A Ilyas  9   10 , N Abdullah  2 , E S Zainudin  1   7 , S M Sapuan  1   3 , A Khalina  1
Affiliations
Review

Mechanical Performance and Applications of CNTs Reinforced Polymer Composites-A Review

N M Nurazzi et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

Developments in the synthesis and scalable manufacturing of carbon nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely used in the polymer material industry over the last few decades, resulting in a series of fascinating multifunctional composites used in fields ranging from portable electronic devices, entertainment and sports to the military, aerospace, and automotive sectors. CNTs offer good thermal and electrical properties, as well as a low density and a high Young's modulus, making them suitable nanofillers for polymer composites. As mechanical reinforcements for structural applications CNTs are unique due to their nano-dimensions and size, as well as their incredible strength. Although a large number of studies have been conducted on these novel materials, there have only been a few reviews published on their mechanical performance in polymer composites. As a result, in this review we have covered some of the key application factors as well as the mechanical properties of CNTs-reinforced polymer composites. Finally, the potential uses of CNTs hybridised with polymer composites reinforced with natural fibres such as kenaf fibre, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre, bamboo fibre, and sugar palm fibre have been highlighted.

Keywords: CNTs; MWCNTs; SWCNTs; mechanical performance; polymer composite.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Schematic diagram of SWCNT and MWCNT (reproduced from [35]) and (b) the MWCNT wrapped with poly(3-hexylthiophene). Reproduced from [37].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Micro and nano scale distribution of; (a) Al2O3 particles, (b) carbon fibers, (c) graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and (d) CNTs. Reproduced with permission from [38]. Copyright Elsevier, 2010.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Entangled nature of MWCNT (a) under FESEM and (b) under HRTEM. Reproduced from [37].
Figure 4
Figure 4
The molecular dynamics model of a CNT subjected to ballistic impact. (a) Initial model, (b) a deformed (18, 0) nanotube at its maximum energy absorption. Reproduced with permission from [113]. Copyright IOP Publishing, 2007.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Fluorescence photomicrographs of cell cultures on (a,b) PET reinforced collagen sheets and (c,d) MWCNTs blocks. Reproduced from [122].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Adsorption of CO gas molecule on the hydroxyl modified CNTs. Reproduced from [158].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Norizan M.N., Moklis M.H., Demon S.Z.N., Halim N.A., Samsuri A., Mohamad I.S., Knight V.F., Abdullah N. Carbon nanotubes: Functionalisation and their application in chemical sensors. RSC Adv. 2020;10:43704–43732. doi: 10.1039/D0RA09438B. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee J. Nanoscale Materials in Water Purification. Elsevier; Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2019. Carbon Nanotube-Based Membranes for Water Purification; pp. 309–331.
    1. Zhang J., Jiang D. Interconnected multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced polymer-matrix composites. Compos. Sci. Technol. 2011;71:466–470. doi: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2010.12.020. - DOI
    1. Nurazzi N.M., Asyraf M.R.M., Khalina A., Abdullah N., Sabaruddin F.A., Kamarudin S.H., Ahmad S., Mahat A.M., Lee C.L., Aisyah H.A., et al. Fabrication, functionalization, and application of carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composite: An overview. Polymers. 2021;13:1047. doi: 10.3390/polym13071047. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Norizan M.N., Zulaikha N.D.S., Norhana A.B., Syakir M.I., Norli A. Carbon nanotubes-based sensor for ammonia gas detection–an overview. Polimery. 2021;66:175–186. doi: 10.14314/polimery.2021.3.3. - DOI