Roles of Ni/CNTs hybridization on rheological and mechanical properties of CNTs/epoxy nanocomposites

In this work, a nanoscaled Ni surface coating for multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) is proposed for the improvement of the interfacial properties between MWCNTs and epoxy resins in nanocomposites. The rheological behaviors and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated in a frequency sweep experiment with oscillatory rheometry and a universal test machine, respectively. The rheological behaviors of the nanocomposites proved the good dispersion behaviors of the Ni-coated MWCNTs in the matrix, demonstrating an increase in the suspension viscosity, G '', and G', proving the high mechanical interfacial properties of the final composites. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.