Thinning of multilayer graphene to monolayer graphene in a plasma environment.

We present a facile approach to transform multilayer graphene to single-layer graphene in a gradual thinning process. Our technique is based upon gradual etching of multilayer graphene in a hydrogen and nitrogen plasma environment. High resolution transmission microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirm the transformation of multilayer graphene to monolayer graphene at a substrate temperature of ∼ 400 °C. The shift in the position of the G-band peak shows a perfect linear dependence with substrate temperature, which indicates a controlled gradual etching process. Selected area electron diffraction also confirmed the removal of functional groups from the graphene surface due to the plasma treatment. We also show that plasma treatment can be used to engineer graphene nanomesh structures.

Dramatic increase in fatigue life in hierarchical graphene composites.

We report the synthesis and fatigue characterization of fiberglass/epoxy composites with various weight fractions of graphene platelets infiltrated into the epoxy resin as well as directly spray-coated on to the glass microfibers. Remarkably only ∼0.2% (with respect to the epoxy resin weight and ∼0.02% with respect to the entire laminate weight) of graphene additives enhanced the fatigue life of the composite in the flexural bending mode by up to 1200-fold. By contrast, under uniaxial tensile fatigue conditions, the graphene fillers resulted in ∼3-5-fold increase in fatigue life. The fatigue life increase (in the flexural bending mode) with graphene additives was ∼1-2 orders of magnitude superior to those obtained using carbon nanotubes. In situ ultrasound analysis of the nanocomposite during the cyclic fatigue test suggests that the graphene network toughens the fiberglass/epoxy-matrix interface and prevents the delamination/buckling of the glass microfibers under compressive stress. Such fatigue-resistant hierarchical materials show potential to improve the safety, reliability, and cost effectiveness of fiber-reinforced composites that are increasingly the material of choice in the aerospace, automotive, marine, sports, biomedical, and wind energy industries.

The effect of carbon nanotube dimensions and dispersion on the fatigue behavior of epoxy nanocomposites.

Fatigue is one of the primary reasons for failure in structural materials. It has been demonstrated that carbon nanotubes can suppress fatigue in polymer composites via crack-bridging and a frictional pull-out mechanism. However, a detailed study of the effects of nanotube dimensions and dispersion on the fatigue behavior of nanocomposites has not been performed. In this work, we show the strong effect of carbon nanotube dimensions (i.e. length, diameter) and dispersion quality on fatigue crack growth suppression in epoxy nanocomposites. We observe that the fatigue crack growth rates can be significantly reduced by (1) reducing the nanotube diameter, (2) increasing the nanotube length and (3) improving the nanotube dispersion. We qualitatively explain these observations by using a fracture mechanics model based on crack-bridging and pull-out of the nanotubes. By optimizing the above parameters (tube length, diameter and dispersion) we demonstrate an over 20-fold reduction in the fatigue crack propagation rate for the nanocomposite epoxy compared to the baseline (unfilled) epoxy.

Effect of filler geometry on interfacial friction damping in polymer nanocomposites.

Single-walled carbon nanotube polycarbonate and C60 polycarbonate nanocomposites were fabricated using a solution mixing method. The composite loss modulus was characterized by application of dynamic (sinusoidal) load to the nanocomposite and the pure polymer samples. For a loading of 1 weight %, the single-walled nanotube fillers generated more than a 250% increase in loss modulus compared to the baseline (pure) polycarbonate. Even though the surface area to volume ratio and surface chemistry of C60 is similar to that for nanotubes, we report no significant increase in the energy dissipation for the 1% weight C60 nanoparticle composite compared to the pure polymer. We explain these observations by comparing qualitatively, the active sliding area (considering both normal and shear stresses) for a representative volume element of the nanotube and the nanoparticle composites. These results highlight the important role played by the filler geometry in controlling energy dissipation in nanocomposite materials.

Carbon nanotube/polycarbonate composites as multifunctional strain sensors.

In this study we demonstrate that multiwalled carbon nanotube fillers can impart a strain sensing functionality to a composite. The nanocomposite is fabricated by dispersing 5% weight of multiwalled nanotube fillers into a polycarbonate matrix. When subjected to linear and sinusoidal dynamic strain inputs, the instantaneous change in the electrical resistance (deltaR/R0) of the nanocomposite responds in a manner similar to a strain gage. The sensitivity of the nanocomposite sensor was measured to be approximately 3.5 times that of a typical strain gage. This sensitivity of the nanocomposite's electrical properties to mechanical stress implies that in addition to enhancing mechanical properties (strength, stiffness, structural damping, etc.), these multifunctional materials show the potential to provide real-time structural health monitoring and self-diagnostic functionalities.

Effect of pre-strain on interfacial friction damping in carbon nanotube polymer composites.

This paper investigates the effect of mechanical pre-strain on interfacial friction damping in nanotube polymer composites. Oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes were dispersed in a polycarbonate matrix using a solution mixing technique. To characterize the damping response, the material storage and loss modulus was measured by application of dynamic (sinusoidal) load to the nanocomposite in the uniaxial direction. A static pre-strain (in 0.35-0.85% range) was then superimposed on the dynamic strain to quantify its effect on the material response. The results indicate that application of pre-strain facilitates the activation of interfacial slip at the nanotube-polymer interfaces at relatively low dynamic strain amplitudes. This is because pre-strain raises the interfacial shear stress for the nanotube inclusions allowing the critical stress for tube-matrix interfacial slip to be reached at lower strain amplitudes. In this way pre-strain significantly improves the effectiveness of the nanotube-matrix sliding energy dissipation mechanism for damping enhancement in composite structures.

Mobility of carbon nanotubes in high electric fields.

The influence of electric fields on carbon nanotubes is experimentally demonstrated. Alignment of nanotubes along field lines, directed motion of nanotubes between electrodes separated by several thousand micrometers, and impressive solid-state actuation behavior of nanotube-embedded structures are demonstrated, taking into account the polarization and charging of the nanotubes. These effects are reported for long strands of nanotubes, nanotubes dispersed on substrates, and nanotube-embedded polymer strips. The relative magnitude of the field responsible for polarization and directed motion was found to be dependent on the morphology of the nanotubes used. These observations may foreshadow novel electromechanical applications for nanotube elements.