Elastic Modulus Behavior of Multi-Walled Carbon Nano-Tubes/Polyurethane Composites using Nano-Indentation Techniques

Abstract

Composites of uniformly dispersed Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)(1wt%, 3wt%, 7wt% and 10wt%) and Polyurethane(PU) were prepared by solution mixing method. Small disc shaped specimens were fabricated for static mechanical characterization using nano-indentation. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) was done to validate the presence of MWCNTs in PU matrix. Mechanical characterization was performed on PU/MWCNTs nano-composites by using nano-indentation techniques. It was observed that the elastic modulus of PU/MWCNTs composites with 10wt% increased by 124.5% in comparison to pure PU.