Sung-Moo Song

Enhanced thermal conductivity of carbon fiber/phenolic resin composites by the introduction of carbon nanotubes

The authors report a significant enhancement in the thermal conductivity of a conventional carbon fiber/phenolic resin composite system when adding highly crystalline multiwalled carbon nanotubes. They demonstrate that 7wt% of carbon nanotubes dispersed homogeneously in a phenolic resin acted as an effective thermal bridge between adjacent carbon fibers and resulted in an enhancement of the thermal conductivity (e.g., from 250to393W∕mK). These results indicate that highly crystalline carbon nanotubes can be used as a multifunctional filler to enhance simultaneously the mechanical and thermal properties of the carbon fiber/phenolic resin composites.

Characteristics of PP/VGCF Composite Films with Highly Orientated Vapor Grown Carbon Nanofiber by Extruding and Drawing Process

Polypropylene (PP) /vapor grown carbon nanofiber (VGCF) composite films with highly orientated VGCF of 10-30 vol% were developed by drawing and subsequent extruding for functional micro device applications. Furthermore, the anisotropy of the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties were investigated. Good performance such as low electric resistivity, high storage modulus, high Youngs modulus and high tensile strength was achieved in a drawing direction of the PP/VGCF composites. In the drawing direction, significant VGCF content dependences of these properties also appeared. On the other hand, these properties in a direction inclined at 45° and 90° to drawing direction were the nearly same.