Electroless deposition of Carbon nanotubes with Copper particles as a Reinforcement material in Smart Cement based Nanocomposites

Application of nanoparticles in cement, regarding their synthesis and utilization procedure, provides various mechanical, electrical and thermal properties to cement based composites. The superior properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have made them as one of the most beneficial nano-reinforcement material. On the other hand, metal particles have been known to be effective for enhancing electrical properties. Accordingly, it seems that the synergistic incorporation of CNTs and copper particles can introduce suitable piezoelectric properties to cement matrices. To this end, in the current investigation, in order to prepare the reinforcement material, copper coated CNTs were prepared using an efficient electroless deposition process. The synthesized samples were characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD, TGA, ICP and AAS. Our results revealed that the process covers most surfaces of the CNTs. Furthermore, the calculated bath efficiency showed to be more than 99%