Elvira Somma

The linear viscoelastic behavior of a series of molecular weights of the thermotropic main-chain liquid crystal polymers HBA/HNA 73/27

In this work the rheological properties of the thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer 1,4 hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA)/2,6 hydroxynaphatoic acid (HNA) 73/27 produced by Ticona have been investigated over the molecular weight range 30 000– > 51 000. The thermotropic main-chain liquid crystal polymers (TLCPs) show linear viscoelastic behavior at small strain amplitudes, as detected in strain sweep experiments performed at a constant frequency of 1, 5, 10, 30, 50, and 100 rad/s. The onset for nonlinearity (γc) significantly decreases (from ∼35% to ∼5%) as the applied frequency (ω) increases, independently of the molecular weight. When the results are plotted in terms of G*/G0* (the complex modulus normalized to the corresponding linear viscoelastic value) as a function of the stress amplitude, the different curves do not seem to collapse upon each other in the large frequency range investigated in this paper. Indeed, the stress onset for nonlinearity increases as the applied frequency (ω) increases (σc∼700 Pa ...

Influence of the nanotube oxidation on the rheological and electrical properties of CNT/HDPE composites

Rheological and electrical properties of nanocomposites based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and high density polyethylene (HDPE), prepared by melt mixing in a micro-twin screw extruder, have been investigated. The effect of MWNT concentration (0.5 and 2.5 wt %) and nanotube surface treatment (oxidative treatment in a tubular furnace at 500°C for 1 hr in a 95% nitrogen, 5% oxygen atmosphere) has been analyzed. It has been found that the sample conductivity with oxidation of the nanotubes decreases more than 2 orders of magnitude.Scanning electron microscopy showed good adhesion and dispersion of nanotubes in the matrix, independently of the surface treatment. Electrical and rheological measurements revealed that the oxidative treatment, causing some reduction of the MWNT quality, decreases the efficiency of the nanotube matrix interaction.