Carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy-composites: enhanced stiffness and fracture toughness at low nanotube content

Nanocomposites consisting of double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) and an epoxy matrix were produced by a standard calandering technique. A very good dispersion of both DWCNTs and carbon black (CB) in an epoxy resin could be observed. The investigation of the (fracture-) mechanical properties resulted in an increase of strength, Young's modulus and strain to failure at a nanotube content of only 0.1 wt%. The correlation of the experimentally obtained Young's moduli showed a good agreement with a modified Halpin-Tsai theory. In addition a significantly improved fracture toughness could be observed for the nanocomposites.