Issue 46

K.I. Tserpes et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 46 (2018) 73-83; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.46.08 73 Developments in the fracture and fatigue assessment of materials and structures Mechanical and nanomechanical properties of MWCNT/PP nanocomposite K.I. Tserpes, A. Chanteli, Sp. Pantelakis Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics, University of Patras, Laboratory of Technology & Strength of Materials, Patras 26500, Greece kitserpes@upatras.gr , aggelikichanteli@gmail.com, pantelak@upatras.gr E.P. Koumoulos, C.A. Charitidis RNanolab, National Technical University of Athens, School of Chemical Engineering, 9 Heroon Polytechniou St., Zographos, Athens, 15780, Greece elikoum@chemeng.ntua.gr, charitidis@chemeng.ntua.gr A BSTRACT . The mechanical and nanomechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced polypropylene (MWCNT/PP) nanocomposite were investigated through tension tests (conducted on 2 wt% and 5 wt% specimens) and nanoindentation tests (conducted on 2 wt% specimens). In addition, the structural properties and topography of the nanocomposite were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), respectively. The results from the tension tests reveal an enhancement and a considerable scatter in the Young’s modulus and maximum stress of the MWCNT/PP nanocomposite for both MWCNT content. For the specimens with mechanical properties lower than the average values, the SEM and SPM images revealed poor dispersion and formation of large agglomerates. The hardness (as resistance to applied load) and Young’s modulus were mapped at 300 nm of displacement, for a grid of 70  70 μ m 2 . Through projection, the resistance is clearly divided into 3 regions, namely the PP matrix, the interphase (region close to/between MWCNTs) and the regions of the MWCNT agglomerates. The resistance deviates from low values (few MPa) to 1.8 GPa. The present experimental study provides all necessary data for the model creation and validation of the MWCNT/PP nanocomposite. K EYWORDS . Polypropylene nanocomposite; Young’s modulus; Nanoindentation; Carbon nanotubes. Citation: Tserpes, K.I., Chanteli, A., Pantelakis, Sp., Koumoulos, E.P., Charitidis, C.A., Mechanical and nanomechanical properties of MWCNT/PP nanocomposite, 46 (2018) 73-83. Received: 07.03.2018 Accepted: 25.03.2018 Published: 01.10.2018 Copyright: © 2018 This is an open access article under the terms of the CC-BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.