Investigation of carbon nanotubes on mechanical properties of polymer composites

In the present study, the effect of adding carbon nanotubes on the tensile and flexural behavior of basalt fiber reinforced epoxy composites was investigated. In the first step, in order to better interact the nanotubes with the epoxy surface, their surface modification was performed. Surface-modified carbon nanotubes were applied at different weight percentages relative to the matrix (0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5%) and then the resulting mixtures were used as a matrix in the fabrication of basalt fiber-reinforced composites. In order to investigate the effect of adding carbon nanotubes on the mechanical behavior of composites, three-point tensile and flexural tests were performed on them. The results show that, firstly, the highest effectiveness of surface-modified carbon nanotubes on tensile and flexural strength is obtained in composites containing 0.3% by weight. Secondly, the positive effect of carbon nanotubes in a certain amount on flexural strength is greater than the effect of the same amount on the improvement of tensile strength. Energy was obtained in a sample containing 0.3% by weight.