Synthesis of Organosilane-Modified Carbon Nanofibers and Influence of Silane Coating Thickness on the Performance of Polyethylene Nanocomposites

✍ Scribed by Weston Wood; Sandeep Kumar; Wei-Hong Zhong

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 662 KB
• Volume: 295
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1438-7492
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.201000226

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Silane coatings with different thicknesses were synthesized on CNFs for reinforcement of polyethylene composites. The thickness of the silane coating was adjusted by using a basic catalyst to increase the overall reactivity of the silane groups, resulting in a thick coating of ≈46 nm (ca. 90% increase in fiber diameter). DMA performed on the polyethylene composites showed a substantial increase in storage modulus from 1.68 to 2.34 GPa (40%) at low temperatures in the composite with the thick silane coating (≈46 nm) at a low loading of 0.4 wt.‐%. We believe that the silane‐treated nanofillers with thick coatings are very promising for high‐performance nanocomposites with non‐polar polymer matrices.
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