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Journal of Rheology, Vol.51, No.4, 585-604, 2007
Rheology of multiwall carbon nanotube suspensions
Carbon nanotubes have exhibited Unusually large changes in selective physical and mechanical properties when added to polymers or polymer composites in small quantities. To understand their rheological behavior and processibility, we mixed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) in epoxy and created suspensions of different dispersion qualities, MWNT aspect ratios, concentrations, Suspension network structures, and MWNT orientation states. Their theological properties were measured with a cone and plate rheometer. It was found that as MWNT dispersion quality improved or their network connections, the aspect ratio or concentration increased, the MWNTs interactions became stronger as indicated by a higher storage modulus G', complex viscosity vertical bar eta*vertical bar, and steady shear viscosity eta. It was found that suspensions which contained a mixture of separated MWNT along with small MWNT aggregates exhibited G' that was independent of frequency suggesting solidlike behavior. This frequency sweep method could be used to characterize the network structure state for well dispersed nanotube suspensions. The steady shear viscosity eta was found to be more sensitive to MWNT separation than G' and vertical bar eta*vertical bar suspensions exhibited shear thinning behavior and nanotubes showed statistically significant alignnment in the direction of the shear flow. Aligned MWNT suspensions not only displayed lower eta than randomly orientated MWNT suspensions, but also had lower G' and vertical bar eta*vertical bar values. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of cured suspensions and a recently developed capillary method was used to validate the MWNTs Suspension state and its microstructure. (c) 2007 The Society of Rheology.